Veni Vidi Vici
by Erio99
Summary: Creature AU. Kai, Nya, and Jay are Fairies. Cole is a Golem. Zane is a Visionayr. Lloyd is just Lloyd. But when their home is attacked by a gang of poachers that call themselves the Serpentine, they'll have to be more than just Creatures to save Wu, Garmadon, Zane, and even the world. WARNING: Character death.
1. Chapter 1

_"On Sunday, a Creature-poaching gang known as the Serpentines attacked yet another Creature sanctuary. So far they've attacked seven in this month alone, kidnapping both the Creatures and the sanctuary owners. It is not clear what their motives are, or why they've suddenly increased in activity."_

Jay rolled his eyes and groaned. "Ugh, do we have to watch the NEWS? That's so boring."

"It's not boring," Cole argued. "It's informative."

"Face it. The news is just plain depressing, rock-face."

Cole, who did indeed have a face of rocks, crossed his arms. "I resent that nickname."

Kai floated into the room, reddish-pink wings fluttering behind. His pointy Fairy fingers tapped away on his phone. His earbuds were plugged in, but he pushed them in deeper to drown out the sounds of Jay and Cole bickering again.

"Would you both cut it out?" hollered a blonde-haired voice from the kitchen. "I'm trying to do homework. And why are you all even in my place anyway? Don't you all have your own living quarters?"

Jay slouched in his chair. "I dunno, man. Your place just seems to be the main meeting area for our group. And you don't seem to have a problem letting the Visionayr stay in your freezer at all hours."

The blonde boy storms into the room. "His NAME is Zane. And he needs to a cold environment and constant supervision for basic survival."

"So...he's like your pet."

"No, he's a Creature just like the rest of us."

Jay scoffed. "You say 'us' as if you're a Creature too." All eyes fell to the human in the room, waiting for a reaction. Even Kai, for once, looked up from his screen.

Lloyd's face contorted into an expression of frustration. He would have opposed to that allegation, and really any statement questioning his validity as a Creature, but always kept shut. He didn't want to open a can of worms regarding the matter. They didn't need to know about his problems, or his species.

"Well if you're all just going to stare at me," Lloyd huffed. "I'm going to go back and keep doing my work."

He sauntered back to the kitchen counter, and sat down on the rickety wooden stool. It creaked and cracked under his weight. He picked up his pencil and put it to the paper.

Thomp! Thomp! Thomp!

Cole walked in, the whole house rattling with his every step. He kept a book under the crook of his rock arm, and adjusted his white scarf. Lloyd cringed as the huge rock-monster wandered into the kitchen, jostling the contents of his humble home as he went.

Lloyd pulled some of his hair out of his face so that everyone could see his scowling face. "Can you all just NOT be in my house all the time?"

"But your house is more fun," Jay whined as he strolled up to the refrigerator. "You've got ice pops. Your uncle doesn't let me have ice pops, says the sugar isn't good for me."

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "I wonder why."

With that, Jay pulled open the freezer door. Inside, a boy made of ice sat inside. He had spiky hair, blue eyes like stars in a sea of cold, and a delicate frame. He waved his ice-shard hand, not saying a word.

"Hey Zane," Jay said in an empty tone. "What flavour should I have today? Grape or cherry?"

As expected, Zane said nothing. He shrugged, and just kept grinning. No one ever knew what was going through his mind, since Visionayrs don't talk.

Jay snickered. "Cherry it is. You always know what I want, Zane."

"He CAN see the future," Kai mumbled, half-listening.

Cole held up a hand in protest. "Actually, I read an article that said that scientists believe Visionayrs ARE time. Like, their souls are small fragments of the space-time continuum."

"That must be why he doesn't talk," Jay offered, mouth full of sugary frozen goodness.

"Explain."

He paused, to let the suspense build as he licked the red juices from his cheeks, before speaking. "Have you ever heard space talk to you."

"Sometimes," Kai said. "Sometimes when I get on my roof and look at the stars, they'll talk to me and tell me the secrets of the universe."

"Are you stoned right now, Kai?"

"Nooo, but I was last night."

Lloyd buried his face into his hands. Why did he have to live with these people? Why did his dad and uncle have to run a Creature sanctuary? Couldn't they have just opened the tea shop like they wanted to BEFORE...

Never mind. He shook the memory out of his head. He couldn't let himself think of that. To painful. Plus, all of that was in the past. It was over now.

While Cole scolded his Fairy friend for his consistently stoned state of being, with Jay eating his cherry ice pop in the background, Lloyd did what he could to focus on his homework. Why did these people have to be his friends? He hardly even liked them. Cole was nice, but really big and cumbersome. It would be rude to blame him for that, though, considering he was a Golem. Jay was just a whiny, entitled brat in Lloyd's eyes. He couldn't see what Nya saw in him. Kai was the classic bad boy. Being arrogant, taking selfies, collecting a huge internet following, and getting stoned seemed to be the extent of his repertoire of talent. And being over-protective of his sister.

Speak of the devil, there she was at the door. Looking for her brother and boyfriend, no doubt. "Kai, I know you're in there," she hummed with a knock. "I can FEEL your stupidity from all the way out here."

The brother in question tossed his head back with a growl, and flew in the direction of the door. "Seeya later, boys. I promised Nya I'd help her paint her living room."

Jay's dark navy wings twitched at the sound of his lover's name. He glided over the counter, landing at Kai's side. "Oh! I'm good at painting. Would it be alright if I helped?"

Kai shrugged. "I can't see why not." He gripped the doorknob, twisted, and gestured for Nya to come in.

She had one light blue wing and one deep maroon wing, and each of them pattered at hummingbird speed as she entered the house.

Lloyd slammed his head into the counter top. One more person and his house would reach maximum capacity, there was no doubt about that.

Nya Smith, the overachieving Water Fairy that Lloyd figured was the only other sane Creature in this whole facility, made sure to stop by the kitchen to say hi to everyone else before stealing two of their own.

The blonde boy gave a half-wave, distracted by the stress brought on by Cole holding a glass of water (Cole had already broken twelve others and Lloyd was certain it was the Golem's fault his laptop keyboard got smashed in).

Cole waved, and the glass shattered in his hand. Water spilled over his fist, dribbling onto the linoleum floor. Everyone cringed unanimously.

Nya went over to the fridge, and waved at Zane. "How's the future, friend?"

Zane simply nodded, his cute and innocent smile of ice not fading in the slightest. For someone made of ice, he sure knew how to melt a heart. Just a smile, and his overwhelming adorable persona could shatter you in a million pieces. Most people figured that the cuteness level of most Visionayrs was some kind of defense mechanism or weapon.

The three Fairies, Water, Fire, and Lightning, flew out the front door after making small talk. They headed to the apartment in the Fairy Wing, room B440. They got out the paint and went to town on her walls, although they did a much more efficient job at painting one another.

Cole was next to go back to his home in the Golem Wing, almost breaking the door with his size and strength on his way out.

Zane never left. He wasn't supposed to. Lloyd's dad had put Zane in HIS care, figuring it would teach him responsibility. Most boys his age got dogs or extra chores. Maybe even a car, in the luckiest of cases. But a Visionayr? A creepy but cute endangered species made of ice that can see time itself that lives in your freezer and doesn't speak? That wasn't what most parents had in mind, and part of Lloyd wished the idea hadn't had come to his dad either.

It wasn't like Zane was a BAD roommate. He gave great advice-to those who could decipher his complex language of gestures and the occasional chirp, that is. It was just that Lloyd would have preferred something along the lines of a St. Bernard. Maybe even a Mastiff. A Chihuahua, if he got desperate enough.

Finally. He had the house to himself.

All the peace and quiet in the world. Just him, his music, his homework, and his thoughts-

Ring, ring. Ring, ring.

Ugh. Who wanted to talk to him NOW?

He picked up his phone. The caller ID read, 'Father'. What did Dad want?

"Hey Dad."

"Hello? Lloyd? I can't talk much. Get Zane and leave the sanctuary as fast as you can."

"Dad? What's going on?"

"The Serpentine, they're here! Let all the Creatures know!"

Lloyd almost dropped his phone. Thankfully he didn't. Shaking, he pulled it up to his ear. "Dad?" he croaked.

"Listen to me Lloyd. I love you, but you need to get out of here now. Take Zane, and get as far away from the sanctuary as you can. I-"

Then it all went silent. The line was cut.

As he moved around the house, collecting the basic necessities of food, water, weapons, and Zane's ice box, his father's words echoed in his mind.

Leave the sanctuary as fast as you can.

The Serpentine, they're here.

I love you.


	2. Chapter 2

All his thoughts were swirling in his head as he dragged the ice box behind him. Step, drag. Step, drag. Out the door, with a bag over his shoulder. All his belongings and prized possessions-his report card, his science fair trophy, a locket with a picture of his dead mother, a few anime-style drawings he had made, and his phone-were tucked in the bag. On his body he wore his favourite jacket, a hoodie with white rib lines and a green five over the heart.

His heart. His beating heart, the muscular lump of flesh trying to pound its way out of his chest and escape. It throbbed faster than his legs, faster than the nightmarish thoughts racing into his mind.

Slam! His face ran into a wall of rocks.

Not a wall, a person. A towering silhouette of boulders, condensed into a bulky humanoid shape. Its eyes were empty and hollow, yet full of life. "Lloyd! I was just coming to look for you! Did you see-"

"MydadjustcalledmesayingtheSerpentinearehereandweneedtogo!" He didn't take a moment to breathe before heading past his Golem friend. Cole held him back by the collar.

"Slow down, Green Bean," Cole said. "What's in the ice box?"

Lloyd glanced at the box behind him, imagining a discomforted Zane contorting himself to fit in the confined space of the ice box. "Zane."

"ZANE can FIT in that thing?"

"I sure hope so. Can we-"

BAM!

An explosion rang out at the entrance of the sanctuary, and chunks of debris were blown every which way. Lloyd almost toppled over, but Cole supported his back and kept him upright.

The two of them winced, and through cringing eyes were glimpses of a sea of people. Unkempt, green hair was matted to their heads. They wore green leather jackets studded with faux golden sequins. Evergreen masks hid their faces, and black jeans clothed their legs. Team Venomari.

The Serpentine gang was split into five main factions: Team Fangpyre, Team Hypnobrai, Team Anacondrai, Team Venomari, and Team Constrictai. But no matter the team, everyone could agree that a Serpentine is a Serpentine, and Serpentines are horrible people. They stole the name of an actual species of Creature, and used that name to ruin the reputation of all snake-people around the world. The real Serpentines went into voluntary exile because of the allegations against them, and no one had seen or heard from them since.

Cole snatched up the ice box in one hand and put it above his head, and scooped Lloyd into his other arm. Running, running fast. Go fast, go faster.

"We need to let the others know!" Lloyd shouted over the roaring of the Venomari soldiers. The assailants threw themselves and their weapons at every available Creature within range, capturing Lloyd's non-human brethren in nets and reeling them in.

Cole tried not to look at the carnage. It was the Serpentine that raided his town all those years ago, and took his Creature friends and killed him. That was the day he became a Golem. That was the day he became this horrifying freak of a thing. Stupid poachers.

Lloyd didn't try to struggle free of the rock-monster's grasp. It would be a futile resistance. Plus, Cole could get them to the Fairy Wing faster than if Lloyd had gone on foot. Sitting also gave him the time to reflect.

"I love you," said the ghost of his father's words, still rattling in his head.

"I love you too, Dad," Lloyd mouthed in response. But his phone conversation was over. It was too late to tell his father how he felt, and perhaps he would never get another chance. Maybe his dad was dead, maybe HE would be-

Knock, knock, knock. It sounded more like pounding, as Cole slammed his fists against Nya's fragile door. B440. The '4' unhinged slightly.

A pause.

Nya, paint-spattered and breathing heavy, opened the door. "Cole? Lloyd? What's going-"

"Get Kai and Jay and let's go!"

"Why?"

A few Serpentines ran past, capturing a Wisp in the background.

"I'll go get them." She turned around and flew down the narrow halls of her Fairy home. "Kai! Jay!"

The two Fairies flew into the living room. "We gotta go. Serpentine are here."

"SERPENTINE?!" Jay sputtered. "What are THEY-"

Smash! All eyes were on Cole, who had just face-planted a scrawny Venomari into the floor. "What?"

"Let's goooo," Lloyd groaned. Why did they have to be so nonchalant about something like this? They should have been running and screaming and frantic. They should've been just as hysterical as he was, why was he the only one panicking?

Jealous of Cole's calm demeanor and frustrated that no one heeded his advice, the human-faced boy crossed his arms and huffed.

The three Fairies flew out, and the six friends raced for whatever exit was available. Cole held Zane in the ice box, Kai had for once put his phone away, Nya was in the lead, and Jay was whining incessantly. Lloyd just sat there, in Cole's earthen arms, thinking. Since he didn't have powers (none that he wanted to admit or acknowledge, at least), thinking was the only thing he really COULD do.

Why here, why now? Why did the Serpentine have to exist? Why couldn't they just leave everyone alone? What about his Uncle Wu and father? Were they alright? Sure, they could more than defend themselves in a fight but...an entire team of Venomaris? At once? Just the two of them? Lloyd hated to underestimate their skills, being that both of them fought in the Great War and even founded the world's first Creature sanctuary, but he figured it would be better to expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised.

A Venomari lashed out, pouncing on Jay. Cole ripped the Venomari off. A few more rushed in. One grabbed at the ice box, only to be thrown aside.

"Flamethrower!" Kai shouted, and a stream of fire bursted from his palms. He overcame the crowd. They kept passing through.

Jay electrocuted all who dared go near, and Nya drowned a few of them by forming water bubbles around their heads. Cole wasn't one for fancy attacks, and just bulldozed his way through.

Zane knew this was going to happen, Lloyd was certain of that. They all were. Zane could see time, and perhaps he even WAS time. Zane likely saw this coming years ago. So why didn't he say something? Maybe the Visionayr knew something the others didn't. Maybe Zane WANTED this to happen.

Trying to understand the science of Zane threw Lloyd's head in for a spin, so he quickly ceased all attempts to make any sense of it.

Lloyd turned back to see what had become of the sanctuary. The name "Two Brothers Safe Haven" had become something of an irony, seeing how there was so much destruction and malice spread about. Fires had lit here and there, some of them being Kai's fault, bodies lay motionless on the ground, and the screams of the unlucky ones still pierced the hearts of the survivors.

It had taken a lot of running and fighting to get away, but all of it was worth it. Once they reached the epicenter of a forest, Nya concluded that they had gotten far enough.

The twinges of pain could be seen on all their faces, Jay's in particular. His electric eyes were downcast, and his voice was no longer lit with witty quips and wordplay.

Kai wanted to take his phone and scroll down his social media feed. Anything to drown out the thoughts of what he had lost. He already lost his parents. He and Nya vagabonded for much of her childhood. And just as they had finally found a place to call home, it was destroyed. Burnt to the ground. Gone. He didn't go on his phone, though, because this wasn't exactly the best time to be checking how many likes his latest selfie got.

Cole tried not to think about it too much. He and Lloyd were similar in that sense. Both of them would go to whatever measures possible to NOT think about their trauma and pain. Ignoring it felt like the best way to prevent emotional pain.

Nya had to be strong. She could see that the flame in Kai's soul was close to extinguishing with grief. Really all of them were about to freeze over with agony. This sort of loss didn't seem to effect her much, mainly because this kind of loss was all she knew. Being chased across the globe by all sorts of poachers or exterminators or whatever they called themselves these days. The adrenaline still coursing through her Fairy veins was familiar, and the sentiment dampened her cheeks with soft tears.

Zane just sat there, scrunched up all snug in his ice box. He hadn't seen it first-hand, but he had seen it. The images of past, present, and future haunted his every thought. But all the same, he knew how all this would end. He knew how he would die, and Lloyd, and all the others. He knew who would get to have a happy ending, and for that reason he smiled.

For a good time, no one mustered the courage to speak or even whimper. When the time came, however, it was Jay who spoke.

"What now?"


	3. Chapter 3

It would have been poetic for Lloyd to have awoken to the sound of the birds serenading him. Even more so, if he had opened his eyes to the dawning of a new day. Instead, he arose at a seemingly insignificant time. The sun was in the sky, and the birds had already had their breakfast and didn't care about singing to anything or anyone. But it wasn't insignificant to HIM. It was always the moment that it all began, that he would wake up. 7:20 AM on the dot. It was when he lost his innocence, it was when life become much less cheery. His wake-up time was a cruel punishment, a constant reminder nagging at him to give thought to the horrible travesty he faced in his past.

Cold hands snatched him by the shoulders, jolting his resting-but-not-asleep eyes open. Looming over him was a figure made of ice, with frosty blue eyes and hair of spiky shards. The figure's hands were sculpted in a neat, smooth way, and the texture would have soothed him if not for the temperature or melting ice dribbling down his arms.

"Zane?"

The Visionayr just smiled, and motioned for Lloyd to be quiet. Follow me, his gestures implied. Lloyd rose to his feet.

He pointed to a bird on a branch, high-up in the forest canopy. He bounced on his heels and clicked his tongue. So Zane wanted Lloyd to follow it, right?

The bird, presumably of falcon nature, cawed as if one cue. Lloyd shook his head and chuckled a bit. "You need to get back in your ice box and I need to get some sleep."

Zane gave an unconvinced, somewhat sassy look. They both knew Lloyd wasn't going to sleep.

Slouching with defeat, Lloyd gave in. "Alright. We'll follow the bird."

Zane smiled, letting out a small chirp. If his smiles couldn't overwhelm someone with his cute smile, he certainly would with his chirps and other nonverbal communication methods. Lloyd actually had it down to a science: chirps represented joy, bouncing and pointing were to draw attention to something, and more. He hadn't figured out what the tongue-clicking, head-banging, or arm-flailing were for. Though despite all this, Zane was actually quite calm, intelligent, and mature. He just happened to be adorable. It was his destiny.

They followed after the bird, both having to run to keep up. Lloyd considered heading back to inform the others of what was happening, but for whatever reason Zane wanted HIM to follow this bird.

Around the trees, over exposed roots, leaping across rivers. The bird would look back every now and then, or even stop and give them what Lloyd was SURE were condescending looks, to make sure they kept up.

At least it kept Lloyd's mind off of the horrors of the previous night, and really the horrors of life itself.

The bird perched itself on the branch of a strange tree, one that was unusually wide and dead.

Zane walked up to it, and Lloyd followed. "We should head back," Lloyd said. "The others are probably worried about us. Given all that's happened so far, they might freak out if we're missing."

Zane gave him a, for lack of better word, COLD look. Lloyd put up his hands in surrender. "YOU'RE the fortune-teller here. Let's see what all this is about."

The both of them placed themselves against the tree's side. It was cold, it was hard, and it was...metal?

Just to be sure, the human knocked his fist against it. Hollow echoes rang out. Hands traced against the creases and all-too-real bumps on the apparently fake trunk, until his tips discovered a latch.

Pull, tug. He yanked it out of place, a rush of stale air blowing into his face as he did. He cringed, and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness beyond before continuing.

The falcon swooped down and joined them, now seated on Zane's shoulder. The two of them must have had some connection, and Lloyd had decided it would be his mission to find out what. After, of course, he reunited with his dad and uncle.

Stairs. They clung to the outer wall, and spiraled down, and down, and down. He kept his hand against whatever steady surface he could reach. It would be bad to slip into the unseen abyss ahead.

Chk-chk!

All the lights came on. Zane had pulled a string, which activated a warm orange glow. It came from an overhead light bulb, one that looked about ready to give out.

It lit his eye's journeys as they scanned bookshelves, scattered papers, strange items in pickle jars, and stacks of messy notes.

He picked up a random paper from the dusted, time-worn desk:

 _"Day 4_

 _He just sits there. He doesn't do anything, just sits there and smiles. He's not the same child I raised. He's just not the same. I know he IS my boy, but is he really? I mean, he doesn't look or act the same. He doesn't even talk anymore."_

The rest of the page has been torn off.

Zane put his hands on his hips, firm and proud of his discovery. He already knew of this moment since the beginning of his existence as a Visionayr, but it still made him happy to be here in person. All the dreams and memories he had trapped in his mind of this place, to finally be here was a dream come true. He just had to meet HER, and his life would be complete-literally.

Lloyd knew the others wouldn't let him hear the end of it for leaving them like he had, but hopefully this place would serve as some form of compensation. If their search for any other survivors didn't prove fruitful, they could at least stay here and lay low.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for reading and reviewing, y'all! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Semester's ending which makes high school more of a disaster than usual, and the novel I've been working on for the past year (not fanfiction, I promise) is almost over and I'm trying to find my second wind.**

 **Comment Reviews!  
**

 **TheAmberShadow - You comment on like every story I have ever posted, and you've not once said anything about my lack of commitment to any one idea. I love you so much, man. You're great. Everyone should love and praise this wonderful person. And yes, I was referencing Tick Tock.**

 **elveron294 - Zaney-Waney?**

 **RJ - Does it really? Perhaps it's just paranoia but I always feel like each chapter gets progressively worse with every story I write.**

 **toothlessturtle21 - Yes, Zane's going to die. But not for a LONG time, I promise. Either at the end of this story, or at the beginning of a sequel I've been planning. I should really focus on this before getting ahead of myself with sequels, though.**

* * *

It had been ten days. Ten days of going back and forth between their new home and their old one in search of survivors. They had found none.

The sanctuary was in pieces. The fires had burnt out, rubble was strewn this way and that, and all non-human corpses had been taken. The bodies of the Venomari were the only ones to cover the field of debris, and even then they were few and far between.

The empty shells of what used to be had already fallen victim to looters and thieves, with houses ransacked and belongings taken.

Kai only felt fury. It raged on within him, threatening to bring the match closer to his dynamite heart. Being a Fire Fairy, it was expected for him to volatile by nature. The real surprise was to see him handle it surprisingly well.

Sure, he shouted and kicked and screamed at the bodies of the fallen. Sure, he held his tears behind a mask of acrimony. His words were bitter, and his teeth were clenched. But Nya knew, and Jay knew, and Cole and Lloyd knew, and Zane knew (better than most) that this was not the worst of Kai's tantrums. He could get worse, much worse. For example, if one of them had been seriously injured or, God forbid, TAKEN...everything within a two-mile radius would lit aflame with the fires of his vengeance.

It took Lloyd and Nya to talk him out of his emotional explosion, and Cole to physically hold him back. The Fairy mellowed out as days went on, but after that outburst it was an unspoken decision that Kai stay behind.

Jay was soon to follow, each day finding clever excuses to not come to the sanctuary.

By five days, only Lloyd ventured out. He was determined beyond words to find his father and his uncle. He had already lost so much, to lose them would be hell. First his mother, then his innocence...then came the only place he could call home, then...

He had to be strong. For his Dad, for Uncle Wu, for the team, and for himself. In Lloyd's mind, he was never strong. He was the weak link, the one that weighed down everyone's potentials with his failures. Logic told him that he couldn't have saved them and that he couldn't have stopped it, but he always would respond with, "But I SHOULD have saved them, and I SHOULD have stopped it."

He shoved his hands into the deep black pockets of his hoodie. He fingered the renegade crumbs and strands of lint, questioning how his jacket had gotten so dirty. He almost never wore it, not wanting to taint such a valued possession.

While thoughts and memories of the sanctuary, now haunted by mere phantoms of the past, ran through his mind, Lloyd fumbled down the road.

With nothing left for the team to do, they had all taken to getting jobs. Lloyd and Zane were the only ones who were still unemployed.

It had been mutually agreed that Zane would stay behind. Viosionayrs were rare, fragile, and valuable, and not the kind of Creature that one should expose to the public. This precaution didn't keep them from worrying, though. The Serpentines were becoming more aggressive and proactive in recent time, and with that in mind nothing could ensure Zane's protection.

Lloyd, on the other hand, had no excuse for his lack of a job. Cole had almost instantly landed a job as a lumberjack. Most of his colleagues were Golems like him.

Kai was hired by a blacksmith, and got upset when Nya became a mechanic instead of working at the same place he did. Kai was over-protective in that way.

Jay was by far the most innocent of the group, having never witnessed any carnage or major disaster. For that very reason they pitied him. Since Jay had lived a sheltered life as the pet of a wealthy inventor couple known as Ed 'n Edna, he never learned what a Fairy Spot was. The others knew what Jay had gotten himself into by working at a Fairy Spot. Unlike Jay they all understood why all of Jay's customers were catcalling and flirting with him left and right. Fairy Spots were basically host clubs and cuddle cafes, but with Fairies. People would come in and sit at the table of whichever Fairy they wanted to serve them. It didn't take long for Jay to become quite popular. He thought it was just that people were attracted to his charisma, but really they were just attracted to his appearance.

Cole, Nya, and Lloyd tried many times to talk Jay into quitting, but on a good night it paid good money-money Jay would often use to buy games or junk food. No one had the heart to explain exactly what a Fairy Spot was to him, and had become one of many taboo subjects for the group.

Lloyd swallowed back his frustration at all the rejections he had received that day: a construction site, a board game shop, two restaurants, a day care, a hospital, and a grocery store.

The sun had begun to set, rubbing it in that Lloyd had wasted an entire day while everyone else was out and about supporting their makeshift family.

Crunch, crunch, crunch went his footsteps as he trudged through branches, dirt, leaves, and patches of mud. The birds didn't chirp, and not a sound was to be heard. It was both eerie and pleasant, and Lloyd loved it. With all the chaos that happened in recent days, these walks to and from the nearby village of Jamanakai were some of his most enjoyable moments.

Flakes of white fluttered, falling from grey clouds scattered across the twilight sky. He paused to stick out his tongue, yet all of them avoided him like the plague and instead frosted the surrounding plants.

A sweet melody wafted into his ears, accompanied by an acoustic chattering. Here? In this part of the forest? Usually these sounds could be found in the heart of the village, but not here of all places.

Lloyd picked up the pace, straight ahead to the direction of the noise. It was also the direction of their tree-house, although he hoped that was just a coincidence. Or a navigation error. He got lost a few nights earlier, so who's to say it wasn't happening again?

A line of people, all in varying appearances and backgrounds, filed out in front of the entrance to his house. What were they doing here? There was no logical reason that he could think of that they could...JAY.

Feet pounding, heart racing. He had to stop this nonsense at once.

One of them, an attractive woman, walked out the door in a huff. "It's a scam, I tell you. Scammers!"

Lloyd placed a hand on the woman's arm. "Miss? What's going on?"

"These people," she shouted, and pointed an accusing finger at his home. "Claim they can see your future. They said I'd commit suicide after a lonely life of pain. Lies!"

Lloyd sucked in his breath. "These people are my friends, how much did you pay them for their services?"

She sniffed. "Twenty pieces."

"TWENTY?" A few people turned their heads. "Ahem. Of course. Let me see how much I have on me."

Thankfully, his back pocket had a twenty-five piece coin. "An extra five, for your troubles." She winked at the woman and she smirked, accepting the coin.

"You're a good kid," she said. "Here's a word of advice: keep better company." With that, she strutted off with her nose turned to the sky.

A few watching the spectacle applauded him. Blushing, he ducked into the house. Down the stairs, past a few angry civilians insisting he was cutting.

Jay had a booth set up. Zane sat in his ice box, which was propped on a chair. Cole supervised a transaction between the newest customer and Jay. Money exchanged hands, and the person looked with eager eyes at the Visionayr.

The boy of ice took the fountain pen and scribbled on the parchment. His hands were fast and eloquent, struggling to keep up with all that ran through his mind. He knew that this was wrong.

Zane had foreseen this, but that didn't make him any happier about doing it. Zane had known for quite some time that he'd be feeling these very feelings, which created a perpetually confusing de ja vu feeling for him, but that didn't take away from the fact that he was in fact feeling them. Transcending space and time isn't all fun and games.

He sighed, and handed the drawing to the person. The person took a look at it with a bright smile. "YES! I WIN THE LOTTERY!"

The person stumbled back upstairs, and a few people gave him pats on the back, some more envious than others.

Lloyd growled and placed a hand on Jay's shoulder.

"Oh, hey Lloyd," Jay said, nonchalant tone only furthering Lloyd's frustration.

"Can I ask what you're doing?"

"What does it LOOK like?"

"It looks like a lot of things, but none of them look good." Lloyd placed his hands on his hips, firm and agitated. Jay's antics always grated on him, but nothing at proportions quite this epic.

Cole snickered. "Someone's getting in ~TROUBLE~!"

Jay stuck out his tongue. Lloyd turned to the crowd. "That's all, folks! Sorry we wasted your time, you all can go home now!"

There was a unanimous groan as they all stormed back to the village.

The Golem heaved a pile of their earnings into the corner of the room, and started counting. Jay frowned.

"That was uncalled for, man," Jay whined.

"Scamming people is what I consider uncalled for," Lloyd argued. "Did you even ask Zane if he wanted to do this?"

"You know he can't talk!"

"That doesn't give you any right to use him for your own financial gain."

Jay cringed. Lloyd certainly had him there. But he had to keep his poker face. If he couldn't convince Lloyd that this fortuneteller gig was a good idea, he'd never get another chance at so much money and glory in his life. And he'd never here the end of it from everyone else.

There it was! The perfect comeback! "At least I'M actually EARNING money."

Lloyd's face transformed into an expression of disgust. His employment status was a bit of a sensitive topic for him. He pursed his lips.

A pause.

Then, Cole broke the silence. "OOOOOH, you just got CHARRED."

"Charred? Wha-what? What even IS that?" Lloyd sputtered.

The Golem leaned against the wall, and transferred to a nerdy tone that they all knew could only mean a long-winding explanation. "A few years ago, it was called a burn. Now it's called 'roasted'. Each time it gets increasingly more severe. I always find out about trends and memes just as they're going out of style, so now I'm taking preemptive measures to be AHEAD of the game."

Jay buried his face into his hands. Last month it was his excessive references to Pepe the Frog. Where had he gone wrong in teaching Cole about internet culture?

Lloyd was questioning what just happened. First Jay and Lloyd were arguing. Now his Lightning Fairy friend was critiquing his Golem friend's comprehension of memes.

Zane, on the other hand, could in fact confirm that Cole spoke the truth. It was much funnier not to intervene, though.

"Jay?" Lloyd croaked. "Shouldn't you be at work by now?"

He glanced his electric eyes at the clock, mortified by what he saw. "CRAP!" He grabbed his uniform-which consisted of booty shorts and a denim jacket tailor-fitted with a wing-hole and his work alias (Dazzle) embroidered into the back-and flew up to the door. Without a goodbye, he raced for work. He was very late, and his boss hated late arrivals.

Then again, they couldn't fire him. He was their customer's favourite waiter.

As he left, Cole and Lloyd burst out laughing. Even Zane giggled a bit. It was an awkward laugh, though, because Jay's ignorance to the truth of Fairy Spots was both hilarious and concerning.

When the laughter washed over, it was Lloyd who spoke. "Ha, anyways. Can you make sure he doesn't get himself pulling scam stunts like this ever again? I thought we were supposed to be keeping a low profile."

Cole nodded as he fed ice cubes to Zane. It was dinner time, after all. "Yeah. We wouldn't want the Serpentine to track us down AGAIN. I'll keep him under control, don't you worry. I'll break his leg if I have to."

Lloyd chuckled. Neither of them actually thought the Serpentine would find them. The Serpentine may have been intense, but not THAT radical. Right?

Zane knew. He knew what would happen, and he fought powerful urges to inform them. He and only he knew that there was someone lurking in the shadows. This someone had ulterior motives. This someone had been alerted of their presence by Jay's reckless actions. This someone wasn't a Serpentine, but rather a business associate. This someone had his eyes on Zane, and on the cash that came with delivering a Visionayr to Anacondrai Leader Pythor.

This someone went by the name Ronin.


	5. Chapter 5

Nya rolled out from under the car she had been working on. Oil stained her tattered maroon overalls. She took a handkerchief and wiped a layer of grime off her face, although a few faded black streaks still remained. She flew for the sounding of the bell at the front desk.

Standing there were who she presumed to be her newest customers. The one on the left stood tall and proud. He had smooth, brown, swooshy hair that was constantly being combed through. He had sequins on his leather jacket with the letters 'JPD' engraved in the back, and delicate satin gloves that added a sense of elegance and finesse to his look.

His partner was the exact opposite. He didn't swell with pride, but rather crumpled and imploded deeper into a grumpy demeanor. This one also had a leather police jacket, but it was dark evergreen. His skin was a translucent mint green, which complimented the verdant tinge of his appearance. Dark hair was held up. A glowing chartreuse highlight kept slipping into his smoky eyes, doing its best to conceal the ghost scars on his face.

They both rose up their badges. "I'm Officer Dareth Dojo and this is my partner Morro Kaze, JPD." His voice was husky, arrogant, and passionate-just like everything else about him. He combed his fingers through his hair against, slicking it back.

Nya's wings stopped, and her feet landed on the cold concrete ground. "What can I do for you, boys?"

Dareth's partner Morro opened his ghostly mouth to speak, but Dareth interrupted. "Are you aware that you are a Water Fairy?"

Nya snickered. "I think so, officer. I mean I've been one since BIRTH, after all."

Morro jabbed him in the ribs. "What my associate means," he said in his echoey voice. "Is that you're an unprotected Creature."

"Is that a problem? You seem to be doing fine yourself."

Morro internally cringed. He hated it when people referenced how he was a Creature. Being a Creature, a ghost specifically, had always gotten in the way of his dreams and aspirations. It made him vulnerable as a cop and untrustworthy in the eyes of most employers. No one liked ghosts, and Morro didn't like BEING one.

"This isn't about me," Morro protested.

"You have such a cold way of presenting yourself, Morro," Dareth scolded in a playful tone. "I get that you're not ALIVE, but that doesn't mean you can't be LIVELY. Come on."

Nya sucked in her breath. "Can I ask what this is about? Because if you're wasting my time, I'll just go back under the car."

"Oh come on," Dareth insisted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Where's the fun in that? You GOTTA cooperate, Missy." She groaned, and Morro put his face in his hands with frustration.

"Don't beg," Morro griped. "It's unseemly. Miss, we're just here to ask you to add your name to our Creature Registry. It keeps tabs on all the Creatures in Jamanakai, so that we can better protect them from poachers."

"Are YOU on the registry?" Nya asked. She knew Morro had a weak spot. She had seen this weak spot before. It was common with Creatures who were born human. So, Ghosts and Morphs (and a few Visionayrs). She didn't have any real motive for picking at the officer's weakness, aside from it just being fun to irk superiors. It was no secret that Nya the Water Fairy had a problem with listening to authority.

Morro shifted his weight, and Dareth swooped in to change the subject. "WE ask the questions, lady. Now. Can I have a name and a number?"He got out a clipboard, and began writing down the information Nya fed him.

"Nya Smith. Water Fairy."

"Residence?"

"I don't have an address, we're just staying in the forest for now."

"We?"

Nya pursed her lips. As much as she wanted to throw a shoe at them and possibly use her water magic to splash that Ghost into oblivion, she had to respect the police. These people could help her and her friends, and maybe even keep the Serpentine off their trail. "My brother and a few others."

"Could you tell me about them?"

"There's Cole Brookstone, a Golem. My brother Kai Smith and my boyfriend Jay Walker are both Fairies. Kai's Fire and Jay's Lightning. Lloyd Garmadon claims he's a Creature, but he seems pretty human to me. And then there's Zane."

"No last name?" Morro inquired, eyebrows raised.

Dareth pouted, shoulders slumped. "You have a boyfriend?"

The Water Fairy just rolled her eyes, and ignored the second question. At that point Nya had concluded that Morro was the serious, by-the-book player. The 'bad cop'. Dareth was the goofy one that was just there for the badge and the babes and the heroism. The 'good cop'.

"Does this Zane have a last name?"

"No, none that we know of," she answered. "He's a Visionayr, and isn't really one for small talk. And that's all the people I live with."

Dareth shivered, frozen solid by the icy inflection in her voice. She didn't like this visit much, and the powerful glare she tried to hide from them convinced Dareth that Nya didn't like their present a whole lot.

A shout interrupted Morro. Pounding footsteps and screeching.

A person stumbled into the entrance to the garage. They had silky blonde hair, a black hoodie with a green '5' on the chest and white rib lines over the abdomen. Their black jeans had been ripped, and they were shaking.

"Lloyd!"

She flew to him and embraced her friend. His eyes were quivering, darting every which way. "It's okay, you're okay. Why don't you sit down?"

He did just that, seating himself in the plastic chair she pulled out for him. The mechanic wrapped him up in her arms. Just like his mother did when he was little. Just like his dad would do when he got scared.

"Is this one of your friends? Hi, I am the Mighty Dareth Dojo, JPD." Dareth asked. Morro crossed his arms, scowling at his partner's overwhelming ego.

Lloyd just gave him this shocked and horrified look.

"What happened, Lloyd?"

"Z-Zane..." the humanoid boy stammered. "H-he's gone...the house h-has been ransacked. Torn apart. M-most of o-our money's gone, to-too." He collapsed into Nya's chest, whimpering as he hugged her neck. He had one job, which was to protect Zane. His father had trusted this task with him and him alone. And he failed. He failed his father. He failed Zane.

After he recovered, Lloyd went with Dareth and Morro to the house. Nya wanted to come but her shift wasn't over yet. All she could do was fix car after car after car. Her mind wandered elsewhere, though. While her body slipped into autopilot, her mind fell into concern. This couldn't be happening. Zane couldn't be gone. He couldn't be. Was it the Serpentine? It was definitely the Serpentine, those stupid people.

Lloyd was doing no better. He hadn't witnessed Zane get abducted, but he had come into an empty house. It was torn apart, and everything was ripped to shreds. The money was taken, and it looked like there was some kind of struggle. Strange, considering Visionayrs weren't known to fight back. Or maybe the kidnappers were looking for something.

Dareth was simply getting high off the thrill of it all, not acknowledging the severity of their circumstances.

Morro saw this as his chance, his big break. If he could do something right, maybe the chief would give him jobs more substantial than handing tickets and adding names to the Registry. He couldn't mess this up, and he for sure couldn't let Dareth of all people ruin this for him.

They arrived to the house. The door was ajar and swinging. The ice box was gone, and so was Zane. It was empty, and the silence haunted even Morro as they pounded down the spiraling steps. The stash of money was gone, including the hills of cash Jay had earned just a few nights ago from the fortune-teller scam. He wasn't going to like that.

Cole did his job, oblivious to what was happening. Kai was on lunch break, and spent his time checking up on social media. Jay was at the arcade spending a portion of his bountiful earnings. None of them knew what had happened.

But Zane knew. He had been kidnapped. He knew this would happen years ago. It was knowledge like this that tormented him, and made him ache. It was seeing how all his friends would die that made frozen tears roll down his face when he was alone. It was actually experiencing the history he had foreseen that pained him.

He knew all about Ronin, the man who had taken him. He knew why he was doing this, and he knew what sorts of emotional trauma Ronin was going to face in the future. He didn't hate Ronin for this, but rather pitied him. He knew Ronin was going to lose someone close to him. It wouldn't be for quite some time from now, but it would happen. And it would drive Ronin mad.

Zane said nothing, because that's what Visionayrs do.

He watched and he waited, as Ronin handed the ice-boy to Pythor. Pythor accepted the Visionayr, and gave Ronin the cash he needed. Zane knew he needed it, and knew what desperate lengths he would go to repay his debt.

The Visionayr wasn't the only one who had witnessed the abduction. The falcon saw it too. But unlike Zane, the falcon was actually going to do something about it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow, seventeen reviews? AND seven follows! I can't believe so many people care about this piddly little thing of mine. I won't let you guys down, I hope.**

 **On top of that, I even have an AU of my AU. That's right folks, LegoTerraWarrior wrote a fanfiction of my fanfiction. I'm both proud, but also wondering what possessed them to think this story is good enough to make a whole other fic for.**

 **In any case...COMMENT REVIEWS!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Aw, thanks. Your support means a lot to me. I will certainly try to keep it up. You keep up with your good work too, friendo.**

 **TheAmberShadow - You feel bad for Morro already? Lo siento buddy, but this ain't even the half of it. It's only going downhill for pretty much everyone from here. B-but that's no excuse to stop reading! Please. Stay. PLEASE.**

* * *

Everyone had a different relationship with Zane.

For instance, Lloyd had a deep one with him. Most people saw it as strictly pet-to-owner, but Lloyd hated it when people thought that. It was degrading Zane down to the level of a mere pet, when in all actuality he was a powerful yet fragile Creature that Lloyd Garmadon had been given the responsibility of taking care of. In what few younger years he had due to the same event that ruined his life and took him from his family (although he dared not think of it), he never got the chance to learn about chores or being responsible or even going to school. He had been robbed of all normalcy, and was instead forced to...never mind.

What young Lloyd hadn't realized, however, was that when people said it was a pet-to-owner connection, they meant it in that Zane was the owner and Lloyd was the pet. Sure, Zane acted like a pet in that he was needing to be fed and spent most of his time in Lloyd's freezer. But anyone who knew anything about Visionayrs knew that the whole time Zane was just pulling Lloyd along on a leash. Zane knew what was supposed to happen and how it was supposed to happen, while Lloyd was just his 'Chosen One'. Visionayrs have two primary connections they make: a Chosen One connection, which involves using a selected person to carry out certain necessities to carry on the timeline usually without their knowing; and a Guardian, a person who was usually a Shifter who would watch over and protect the delicate ice-person. Needless to say, Lloyd was Zane's Chosen One.

While it was necessary for such bonds to be had, it made everyone else feel rather excluded. Cole had a relationship with Zane that was almost tighter than Lloyd's. On Cole's part, it was fascination and thinking the guy was adorable to some extent. He respected and admired him, and enjoyed hearing Zane chirp. Chirps meant he was happy. It did, however, break Cole's heart when Zane would time and time again choose Lloyd over him. Was he not worthy? Though it broke Zane's heart just as much to do this to his Golem friend, it needed to be done. It was to serve the greater purpose. The Visionayr would have much preferred that Cole be his Chosen One, but more on that never.

Kai had only confusion in his heart regarding the strange boy of ice. He found it sort of creepy that an all-seeing entity lived in the freezer, and could give you advice on what to wear or what to eat if you could decipher his gestures and noises well enough. The Fire Fairy figured it was best to not dwell too much on it.

Nya, on the other hand, was constantly asking Zane questions left and right. The idea that he knew her future charmed her. She didn't want to abuse his powers like Jay always insisted upon, but sometimes Lloyd would find her sitting on his kitchen floor at 2 AM talking about the meaning of life with him. No one understood why she would do this, since everyone knows Visionayrs aren't really good at small talk. Any form of talk really.

Nothing need be said about how Jay felt about Zane. He considered Zane's future-seeing powers more of a novelty than anything, which rather disgusted Lloyd.

And the falcon? Oh, she was a different story altogether. The falcon had been with Zane since he first became a Visionayr. She followed him through all the strife he faced, and looked after him. She even saw as that man Ronin took him away. She had tried to fight back, much to the chagrin of her frosty companion, but was defeated by his machinery and the fact that she seldom trained. She didn't think she needed to. He was safe in the sanctuary for so long, she had forgotten that he was ever in any real danger in the first place.

But now he was gone, and it was all her fault.

"Can you tell me what happened here?"

"I TOLD ten officers already," Jay whined. "I was one of the last to arrive. Those two bozos Darek and Monty or whatever were already here by the time I showed up. I don't know anything!"

"Excuse me," Dareth argued. "My NAME is Dareth. The Great Dareth Dojo, if you really want to get formal. And that right there, that's my friend MORRO. Morro Kaze, the first-ever Ghost cop and one of my two besties. We fought in the Great War together."

Cole's stony eyes widened. "The Great War? Really?"

Morro cut his brown-clad friend off before he started killing brain cells with his stupidity. "My associate doesn't remember much. He was unconscious the whole time. Got shot straight in the skull. Me and...an 'old friend'...had to carry him off to safety."

Jay snickered. "Is that why he's so brain-dead?"

"No, he was like that long before his accident. I'm afraid he was born this way."

"Hey!"

The Lightning Fairy gave another snicker.

A few officers perused the crime scene, snapping photos and taking names while trying to piece together an accurate understanding of what transpired here that afternoon.

The falcon, who was now watching them from her perch on the stairs, saw it all. She knew everything that happened down to the last detail. Her flawless memory was a curse in that way.

Perhaps she should speak up? No, that was illegal. Guardians were only allowed to talk to other Guardians and their designated Visionayr.

This was serious though. But serious enough to break the rules?

Definitely.

She cleared her avian throat, and swooped down. She blurred past Jay's peripheral, startling him. Score. She loved to mess with that motor-mouth.

Another cough.

"What's up with that bird?" Jay asked.

Nya shook her head. "Not a clue. It's probably just missing Zane like the rest of us."

Well the Water Fairy was right there. She did miss Zane. And that's why she HAD to do this.

"If only it could speak, maybe it could tell us what happened," Cole mused.

"I CAN speak," the falcon retorted. "And I'm not an it, I'm a she."

Now she had all eyes on her. She cleared her throat again.

It was no secret that all of them were horrified at what they believed they were perceiving. It had to be a dream, or fake. Their minds were playing tricks on them, no doubt. No one said a word, worried they were alone in their delusions. They weren't.

The falcon spread out her black wings and began to glow. The glowing continued without end, until her whole body had been consumed in blinding light. Her silhouette morphed shape.

By the time it had dimmed, a human girl stood in place. She looked sort of human, at least. She had dark raven hair and dark skin. Her nails were like talons. Her leather clothes had been tattered, worn out by the huge wings that still hung from her back.

She stared into Lloyd with her hypnotic purple eyes.

"Did the bird just...talk?" he inquired, hesitant to even ask for fear that someone would say yes.

"Yes the bird just talked," the falcon snarled. "The bird can hear you, too. The bird's also named Farukon and would also prefer to be called that instead of 'the bird'. It's kind of offensive."

"But...how is this possible?"

Cole spoke up, habitually pushing non-existent glasses up his nose (it was something he did a lot back when he was human, and found it a difficult habit to break despite him no longer needing glasses in the first place). "I believe 'Farukon' here is a Shifter. They're like Morphs, but instead of changing between a Creature form and a human form they switch between a human form and an animal form."

The falcon, Farukon, nodded. "Rocky speaks the truth, everybody."

"But I didn't know Shifters could speak," Kai interjected.

Jay smirked. Finally he knew something no one else knew. "Yeah, of course they can speak. Remember that Shifter that lived next to Lloyd in the Miscellaneous Wing back at the sanctuary? What was his name, Nadakhan wasn't it? He could talk. He and I would talk all the time. He even got a job, didn't he? Left for the big city to start a family and sail the high seas like he always dreamed he'd do."

Nya rubbed her arm, and cast her eyes away. "Jay...how do I break this to you gently? Nadakhan...wasn't a Shifter."

"He-he wasn't?"

"No. He wasn't. He was a Djinn."

"You mean those wish-granting Creatures? The extinct ones?"

She gave a solemn nod. "We told you he was a Shifter because Shifters are common, and we didn't want you to think he was endangered. You two got along so well."

"A-and him leaving for Ninjago City?" Jay sputtered. There was no way that such a big chunk of his life could have been a lie. No way.

Cole burst into the conversation here. "He died, Jay. We didn't want to tell you, because we didn't want to break your heart. The poachers got to him, and he was the last of his kind, and...he died, Jay."

"We only did it to protect your innocence," Nya added.

Now probably wasn't the best time to tell him about Nadakhan, and only further convinced the group that they should never bring up the truth about Fairy Spots to him. EVER.

Farukon tapped her bare foot, impatient. "Guys, he-llooo? Talking bird here. And all the cops are here too. We are all listening to your little chit-chat, unfiltered. Can we get back to the topic at hand? Y'know, because some jerk just stole Zane and given that he was my responsibility I'd like to have him back before my boss gets my butt handed to me."

All eyes were back on the Shifter, who leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her flat chest and her face in an unamused expression. Her wings were folded behind her, but that still did a terrible job of hiding them from the dumbfounded cops surrounding.

While Jay struggled to come to grips with his life being a lie, the others listened in on what Farukon had to say.

"I saw the attacker," she said. "And I caused all this chaos. I tried to fight him. I'm Zane's Guardian you know."

Before anyone had the chance to ask what a Guardian is, Cole blurted the answer. "A Guardian is a Visionayr's-usually Shifter-protector, a Creature with the sworn duty to look after a specific Visionayr assigned to them." Everyone looked at him like he was a huge nerd (he was). "What? I do my research."

Farukon continued. "If you want, I could collaborate with some police sketch artists to give you all an idea of what this creep looked like."

Now it was Dareth's turn to butt in. "No, no. I've got a gut feeling about who the culprit is, and my gut never lies."

Morro rolled his eyes and took a deep sigh. "It's true."

Their new Shifter friend peered into the cop's soul, skeptical and vaguely discomforted by his overflowing ego.

Everyone gave Dareth Dojo their attention, even Jay (who was caught in a sudden existential crisis brought on by the Nadakhan revelation). "Did the guy have a red hat, an eyepatch, and 5 'o clock shadow?"

Farukon raised her eyebrows, somewhat impressed. She still didn't like him though. "Yes?"

Dareth presented his audience with a smug grin. "That means that I, the Great and Wonderful Dareth, have solved the mystery."

Morro jabbed him in the ribs, but his ghostly elbow went straight through him. "Spit it out, then. Who did it?"

The cop ran his fingers through his hair, and his voice turned angry. Morro had never seen him angry, unless he was talking about he-who-shall-not-be-named. But it couldn't have been HIM who took Zane, could it?

"The man who saved my life back in the Great War," Dareth grumbled. "And my former friend: Ronin."


	7. Chapter 7: Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

**Thanks everyone for all the support, as always.**

 **Time for Comment Reviews!**

 **TheAmberShadow - You should totally get on writing that dragon story, I would totally read it. Aw, thanks.**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - I will explain how humans can become Creatures, but not right now. That's a huge part of the story and you'll just have to wait. The explanation will happen in a few chapters, if everything goes according to plan. And a siren? Do tell, please. I hadn't thought about sirens yet.**

 **jessicamoncada0824 - Thanks. I think you'll enjoy what I have planned for Dareth and Ronin almost as much as I do.**

 **Now...onto the story!**

* * *

She hated being in Team Anacondrai. She knew the whole team-choosing system was flawed and stupid from the get-go, and yet here she was.

It was decisions like that, that really made her think: why had she chosen to turn to the Serpentine of all people, why did being part of a poacher gang seem like such a good idea, and why hadn't she already left? All of these were good questions that she didn't possess good answers for.

And if one wanted to go so far as to question why she had run away from home in the first place, she wouldn't have an answer for that either.

She DID know, however, that she couldn't go back. Despite all the missing persons flyers with her face, all the news broadcasts and videos of her father sobbing for her safe return on national television, she couldn't go back home. Not after learning her whole life had been a lie. He lied to her about her own identity, and she couldn't forgive him for that.

All the same, she couldn't stay HERE either. It was downright immoral what the Serpentine were doing, and to make things worse Team Anacondrai Leader Pythor boiled her blood. She often found herself daydreaming about what it would be like to strut up to him, slap him good and hard, then waltz right out the front door - never to be seen again.

This never happened, of course, and she knew well enough to keep her mouth shut.

Another thing she knew about herself was why she was put in charge of guarding this particular inmate. The Creature in her current custody required certain living circumstances that only she could handle without freezing to death.

While standing there, clutching the standard-issue guard's rifle she so lovingly named 'El Jefe', her mind drifted into a complex fantasy of what she would do if she were to quit her job. She'd explore the world, she'd see places. Maybe find a special someone to open up a nice store with. She didn't care what kind of store, anything but a bakery. She couldn't cook to save her life, and would rather marry Pythor than a baker.

Despite how it seemed, she wasn't all that desperate to have a special someone. No matter how lonely she got, she held firm to her standards: he had to be tall, dark, strong, and husky. He needed to coddle her in his arms whenever she got scared, and defend her with life and limb. He had to support her decision to run far, far away from that lying father of hers. He was required to fix her when she was broken, and he would lift her when she fell.

Part of her dreamed that if she only stayed put long enough, a person (who met her high expectations, of course) might just swoop in to rescue her from this desert hell-hole that was the Anacondrai Base.

The rest of her agreed that she stay put, but not for the sake of a man to sweep her off her feet. She lacked the motivation or reason to leave, and simply needed to wait for an excuse to bust right out of there.

She had no clue her excuse would come in the form of a Visionayr named Zane.

"What is your name?" she asked.

Zane just smiled up at her with a chirp.

She nodded and folded her arms over her chest. "Oh, right. Visionayrs do not talk. My apologies."

He shrugged off the slightly patronizing tone to her voice. He had seen her before, but never in person.

Needless to say, she was more stunning than any amount of clairvoyance could have perceived. Her silver hair was held up in a ponytail, elegant curls dropping off at the sides of her face. Her skin was pale, and her face and left arm were tainted with deep purple Anacondrai tattoos. Her purple shirt had only one sleeve and a red sash, with baggy pants to match. She held tight to her rifle, hoping it would make her seem more menacing than she really was.

"My name is Pixal," she said. "Pixal Borg, Team Anacondrai of the Serpentine."

Zane made a sound that was half-purr, half-shiver. He stretched out his legs and climbed out the ice box.

As he walked up to her side, both of them standing in a meat-locker, she realized just how small he was. His skin (if you could call it that) was overgrown with icicles, extending to his head and reaching upwards in a frosty stalagmite-esque manner. Despite this, he still only went up to her shoulders. His eyes were round and hollow, with a bright light penetrating through his soul to shine into hers. His mouth was jagged, which made up for his lack of teeth or tongue.

It was common courtesy to shake hands, and Zane knew that, and that was why he held out his hand.

She took it, nervous and confused. He shook her arm a bit.

A knock on the door.

"Come in," she hollered in her sweet voice. She had to make it sound deep, to mask her innately soft nature.

The knob twisted.

Crea-eak!

Standing there was a man with purple hair, a milky white gem on his forehead, sharp teeth, and white robes. His skin wore an intricate series of mauve tattoos, spiraling up his arms and hands and chest. His eyes were deep-sunken, with scarlet reptilian slits in the pupils.

She covered her mouth to hide her hateful chortle, as she bowed. Zane bowed as well.

"Hmph," said the man, arrogant. He walked past Pixal and straight to Zane. He towered over the both of them, the coldness of his glare and his shadow too cold for even Zane to handle.

He shivered in the presence of Team Anacondrai Leader Pythor.

Pythor hated everyone. Convenient, because the feeling was mutual (although Pixal hated him just a LITTLE bit more).

He snatched Zane by the arm and started dragging him towards the door.

"Where are you taking that Visionayr, sir?"

"To the Hypnobrai Base, where they'll put him in the Melting Pot," he answered. She tried not to scoff at his obviously faked British accent. "We'll melt this pitiful thing down to a little puddle, oh yes."

"Sir?"

"What is it now, minion?"

She growled at that title. "Sir, that would kill him."

"Yes, I'm aware. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"No, sir. But is it necessary to kill an innocent Visionayr?"

Pythor struck a skeptical, unhappy pose. "How long have you been here?"

"Two years, sir."

"So you know that murder is just a fact of our work. Collateral damage, if you will. We melt Visionayrs into water because...well, do you know what happens if you drink a Visionayr?"

She swallowed hard, haunted by the words 'collateral damage'. "No, sir?"

He gave a dark chuckle and a knowing look. "You can see a portion of the future. And that's why I'm personally escorting this young Visionayr to the Melting Pot, so I can drink some myself."

Pixal's whole body tensed. Giving someone like Pythor that kind of power was dangerous. She couldn't let that happen, especially not to someone so small and innocent like this Visionayr.

This was it, this was her excuse. Now time to break out.

She thrusted the end of El Jefe's barrel into Pythor's gut. Doubled over, moaning. Pixal stole Zane away from him, holding his wrist in her hand. So small, so delicate.

Swing the door open. Run out. Down the dark tunnels. Pythor's behind, an onslaught of fellow Anacondrai in front. Time to pull the trigger.

Pow pow pow pow!

More running. She had to get out, she had to escape. If not now, then never. This was her chance, her excuse. Zane knew that better than anyone.

More shooting. More violence. More running. Would it ever end?

Into the moonlight. Almost midnight, according to her watch.

In the distance, a jeep. Run for the jeep. Start the car. Drive away, into the starry horizon.

More bullets. Drive faster. Hide behind the sand and wind until they can't keep up, and can't find you.

Thanks to her excellent driving skills and a quite climactic few minutes, they were lost to the Anacondrai. She was officially AWOL, something she had more than dreamed of for the past two years.

She was away. She was safe. She was free.


	8. Chapter 8: Reunions Suck

**Comment Reviews:**

 **Ebony umbreon - Glad you like it!**

 **toothlessturtle21 - Gotta give Pixal some time to shine too, right? Hah, no problem, I actually have a head-canon that Zane's actually really short.**

 **TheAmberShadow - Well, get an account. As for the different version problem, I can suggest maybe starting with one-shots involving that AU? I don't know, all I know is that I would read it if you wrote it. You'll find out soon enough how they get sorted into different tribes, and it's actually kind of funny.**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Please do PM me about details regarding this siren idea, I'm intrigued.**

 **CraftyNinjaCat13 - Yeah! I have a feeling PIXAL will be AWESOME in HoT!**

 **This chapter is a bit short and doesn't have much action (so sorry), but it involves foreshadowing and an interesting confrontation. Enjoy!**

* * *

Lloyd was proud to be one of the few civilians Officer Morro permitted to tag along. Cole, Jay, Nya, and Kai were all back at home awaiting his return.

Morro insisted it was 'too dangerous' for anyone other than him and Dareth (and Farukon too, but only because she was a witness and could identify their suspect), but with a little persuasion and lots of persistence Morro grudgingly allowed Lloyd to tag along.

Farukon had her wings tucked into her jacket as she walked ahead, standing a good few inches taller than him. Just a while ago, she was a falcon guiding him to a metal tree. Now she was in human form, and walking and talking with two police officers.

If someone had come to Lloyd back when he was a little kid and told him all that would become of him, he would scoff and probably throw something in their face. Yet here he was.

Dareth skipped ahead and knocked on the door. His chipper demeanor was partly innate, partly because the train ride to the shambled town of Stiix had squished his legs and he needed to use every opportunity he had to stretch.

He rapped his knuckles on the splintered door. Farukon and Lloyd caught up, and eventually Morro.

The way the floorboards creaked under them set Morro on edge, haunted by the knowledge that one wrong step would melt his spectral state into oblivion.

"Can we be a little more careful?" Morro hummed with frustration.

Farukon snickered. "Aw, is the Big Buff Ghost Puff scared?"

He dismissed her comments with a hiss and a wave. "Let's just get this over wit-"

The doorknob creaked and shook, the hinges moaned, and the door opened a sliver. Dareth straightened his back and pulled out his badge. "Dareth Dojo, JPD. This is-whoa, hey Ronin!"

A man with a red hat, an eyepatch, teal clothes, a greenish-brown breastplate, and orange armour on his left arm opened the door. He pulled down the scarlet mask covering his mouth, jaw unhinged.

Dareth always tried very hard to hate Ronin. How could Ronin have betrayed the plans they made together? How could he have just walked off and abandoned them after the war was over? Despite his best efforts, Dareth's upbeat demeanor made it difficult for him to dislike anyone.

The scruffy-faced man's eyes went from Dareth, to Ronin, to Farukon, to Lloyd. He chuckled, an attempt to hide his fear of his secrets being revealed. "Well look at that. The gang's back together."

Morro crossed his arms. "We were never a 'gang' and you know it."

Ronin opened the door wider and leaned against the frame. "Am I in some kind of 'trouble', officer?"

Lloyd spoke up. "You took my friend!"

"Heh, I may be a thief but I'm no kidnapper."

Farukon stepped forward and peered at the sly little man before her. "Yeah, I FOUGHT you."

Ronin's smile faded. "Ah, you're talking about that Visionayr kid. I don't consider it kidnapping, because consider this: he can SEE the FUTURE. He knew what I was planning, and willingly tagged along. It's only kidnapping if the person is taken against their will. You don't have a charge against me, officers."

Lloyd tightened his fists. This guy was getting on his nerves.

Farukon put a hand on the hoodie-wearing adolescent. "Calm down, kid."

Young Lloyd Garmadon only remembered one other person putting their hand on his shoulder like this before now: his father. That wonderful, well-aged man who always had a snarky yet wise comeback brewing in that intelligent mind of his. Loving, strong, and formidable. So much like Farukon. He tried to shrug off the pain that such memories would bring, to no avail.

Morro was next to speak. "What did you do with the Visionayr?"

Ronin held out a leather-gloved hand expectantly. "You get what you pay for."

Morro frowned and dug into his pocket. He dropped a sack of coins he prepared before boarding the train into Ronin's palm.

The thief shoved it into a pocket of his own. "Pleasure doing business with you, old friend."

"I'm not your friend," he grumbled.

Ronin stood up straight, ready to explain himself. "The Serpentine have him. Anacondrai Leader Pythor pays me upwards of 50,000 coins per Creature I snag for him. Good deal, if you ask me."

Now it was Farukon's turn to lose her temper, and for Lloyd to hold her back. "Good deal? Good deal?! Zane was my responsibility! He's priceless! You know what they'll do to him? They'll melt him! He's one of the last of his kind!"

She shoved herself out of Lloyd's grip, and pointed an accusing finger at him. "The extinction of his species will be on YOUR hands, punk, YOUR hands."

Ronin shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "I've got a lot of crimes on my hands, sweetheart. Remember Skulkins? I helped hunt those guys into extinction too."

Morro shivered. How ruthless this former friend of his was towards Creatures. He could only think of Ronin 'snagging' HIM one day. His cold eyes would look into Morro with a smirk. He'd get sold like merchandise to , and there'd be nothing he could do but watch as a childhood friend betrayed him.

A flash of smoke, Farukon transformed into a black wolf. Visible ribs, dark fluffy fur, entrancing purple eyes-she pounced on Ronin and struck him to the ground.

Howling, howling, attacking. She was consumed by rage that she no longer wanted to control. This man took Zane, the sweet and loving Visionayr she fought her whole life to protect.

Lloyd ripped her off of him, and she clawed at the air in an effort to return to her victim. Ronin scrambled back, horrified by the pain he saw in her eyes. He caused this.

Another flash of smoke and she was human again, now crumpled into Lloyd's flimsy arms. Whimpering, sad, fistfuls of Lloyd's shirt clenched in her trembling hands. He wished that the roles were switched, where SHE was comforting HIM, but he knew that he didn't matter enough to anyone but his dad and uncle for someone to want to comfort him.

She babbled on about how could he be so heartless, why did he have to take Zane away from her, and Ronin watched. If the tears hadn't had blinded her, she would have seen the overwhelming remorse welled in his eyes.

Morro and Dareth soon put Ronin in cuffs, and took him with them on a train straight to Jamanakai. The way back was quiet, and awkward, and everyone was thinking.

War has a way of changing people. Morro thought he knew that better than anyone. He went in a swimmer who had a good handful of awards and trophies from all the competitions he won. He went in full of life and hope, so full of promise. He was just accepted into the Ninjago Olympics. He came out the War a Ghost. He returned to his home a literal phantom of his former self, and all chance of being a world-renowned swimmer went out the window.

Lloyd, too, thought he had knew how war could change people. After all, it was the Great War that ruined him. It had stripped him of his family and his innocence and his childhood. It turned him into...well, he preferred not to think about that.

Looking out the window with wet eyes, Farukon thought she knew war pretty well too. She followed Zane to the ends of the planet, saved him from countless poachers and abusers, kept him from melting, and even dabbled in the never-ending search for his family.

Despite all that, Ronin knew it best. Something had happened on that battlefield, something he couldn't talk about. He wanted to, but he knew what reactions they would all have.

Zane knew what happened, he knew what Ronin did to save Dareth. He knew that if Dareth remembered the events that transpired that day, his soul would be stolen. Ronin couldn't risk it. It was all his fault. Morro's ghostly affliction, the scar on Dareth's forehead, the survival of both his friends, the disappearance of Zane the Visionayr-he had so much to regret, and he hated himself for it.


	9. Chapter 9: In This Sanctuary

**Comment Reviews!**

 **TheAmberShadow - Yeah, my parents used to be suspicious about this website and really fanfiction in general too. That's okay, I guess, that you don't have an account. You'll find out how Creatures come into existence soon, I promise. And SOMETHING happened to Lloyd, *dark evil laugh* but you won't find out for a while.**

 **Anonymous7 - Wow, thank you so much!**

 **jessicamoncada0824 - Haha, you don't know the half of it.**

 **elveron294 - I can't wait to WRITE how Pixal and Zane interact. I guess I'm not the only one who wants to give Ronin a good beating. Don't worry, he'll get his share in this story. Thank you!**

 **And...let's begin!**

* * *

Gayle Gossip was known for many things: her pluck, her skills in investigative journalism, her nice swooshy hair, and her ability to put up with being in a relationship with DARETH DOJO of all people.

Whenever someone told her to dump that loser and go find herself a man she deserved (one just as strong, adventurous, and lion-hearted as she was) she would chuckle to herself and question what life would be like without that wonderful brown-clad goofball.

Yet, here she was dreaming of life beyond the confines of Dareth.

Why did he have to bring a criminal into his home, why? He was known for letting stray cats and dogs and sometimes even rats or birds, one time even a homeless man, but this? A thief? To Gayle, Ronin was better off rotting in the jail cell Dareth bailed him out of.

At least she didn't live with Dareth though, so she only saw Ronin when she came to visit. As much as she loved Dareth, she couldn't handle some of his idiosyncrasies. One of them being, of course, his tendency to take in things that should really stay outside.

To Ronin, this was free food and board and he didn't mind mooching off the very person he was trying to save. To keep his conscience intact, Ronin told himself that this was just Dareth returning the favour for saving his life back in the Great War.

Gayle wasn't the only one who hated having Ronin around. Naturally, Morro found the whole situation aggravating. It gave him excuses not to visit Dareth's house for dinner every Tuesday, a tradition that bothered his anti-social self very much. So for that he was at least grateful.

Needless to say, a certain troupe of Creatures didn't take too kindly to the thief either. Thankfully, they wouldn't be seeing much of him this day.

"Where's your brown buddy?" Jay asked, floating a few feet off the ground.

Morro tucked a green highlight behind his ear with a grumble. "Showing Ronin around town. Can I come in now? It looks like a storm's coming in, and I don't like to be wet."

That was a huge lie. Morro LOVED to be wet, it was his dream and his aspiration. The problem was he COULDN'T be wet.

The Lightning Fairy let him through the door with a shrug. "What's the deal, officer?"

Morro followed Jay down the winding steps, the house's atmosphere much brighter than last he visited.

"I'm working your case. You shouldn't be surprised to see me drop by every now and again."

Jay shrugged. "Eh, I guess. But you probably have a reason each time, don't you?...So what is it today?"

They reached the bottom of the staircase. A tall, earthy figure turned its rock head in the direction of the cop. He set his book down beside him and rose to his feet.

Cole towered over the both of them with a smile. "What can I do for you today, Mister Kaze?" He tried very hard to be polite with this officer, but to be honest Cole wanted to go back to reading his book. He had JUST reached the climax, after all.

"Where is everyone else?"

"Kai's testing out the new bath we just had installed," Cole answered. "And Nya's doing some DIY project somewhere or other."

"She's fixing up the power generator," Jay added.

"Ah, right. What he said. And Lloyd is out looking for work, again."

"What about your Shifter friend?"

"Said she was going to get some exercise. I wanted to tag along, but she said she was flying. So I assume if you see a falcon anywhere, it's probably her."

Slop, slop, slop.

Puddles formed at the feet of a person entering through an obscurely placed door, one with wet brown hair and a towel around his waste. He froze once he saw that Morro was here, but once he saw this as an opportunity he struck a pose.

"Like what you see?" he asked Morro in a flirtatious voice.

Cole groaned. "Kai..."

Morro cleared his throat, eyes cast at the ground and hand shielding his vision from any sight of Kai's body. "Put some clothes on, sir."

The Fire Fairy let the rejection roll off. "So what's going on here?"

Morro shifted, uncomfortable and refusing to look up. "Um...I...if you all remember correctly, I'm working your case. It's my job to find out where your Visionayr friend went and get him back home."

A sobering moment of silence came in response to mention of Zane.

"Okay, but you already took our statements," Cole protested. "What more do you want?"

"I did a little digging and learned about a 'sanctuary'," Morro said. "And figured you all could take me there so I could further my investigation."

In everyone's minds, they rang out with a unanimous 'no'. They couldn't just walk back to a place like that, the way one would walk into a graveyard full of bad people where all the bodies have been dug up.

Jay never had the strength to see that place and be reminded of that fateful incident, not from the start.

Kai would always lose his temper at the thought of what those stupid douche-bag Serpentines did to his home.

Cole just got uncomfortable, a similar feeling to having a loved one's corpse sitting at your dining room table. Or from Cole's experience, like sitting across the table from your own corpse.

Despite their reluctance, they chimed in with a resounding, "sure" that echoed against the metal walls.

Kai put on some clothes at the request of basically everyone. They all headed for the Two Brothers Safe Haven, the Creature sanctuary run by siblings Wu and Garmadon.

They left Nya behind, because Kai didn't want to put her through any more trauma (even though she was coping better than anyone). They left Lloyd and Farukon behind, because no one knew where to find them.

It was just Kai, Cole, Jay, and Morro. They were the only living entities to walk through their

dead home.

Jay pressed a hand against a crippled, barely stable wall. He remembered when he first came here. His owners had just passed on, and in their will they wanted him sent here. He remembered first laying eyes on Nya, and knowing in an instant that she was the one. Seeing that perfect Water Fairy face of hers promised him that everything would be alright.

Kai tried hard not to slam his fist into every Venomari body he found, and then some. He did his best to reel in his fury and grief, although it didn't end so well.

Cole had been there the longest, aside from Lloyd and Zane of course. He was one of the first Creatures to be rescued and moved in. He shuddered at life before the sanctuary, back when he was the slave of someone he thought he loved. Now, the only good home he had ever known since becoming a Golem had been destroyed.

Morro was enraged like Kai, but did a much better job of keeping it in. Stupid Serpentine, thinking they could just get away with treating Creatures horribly. He fingered a 'Creatures are People too!' pin for comfort, the one that Dareth gave him as consolation for his Ghost predicament (the one he kept in his pocket despite his dislike for getting sentimental).

After they all regrouped, they told Morro about their experiences.

Kai told of how he was chased by poachers every which way, recalling the events that led to his parent's deaths and what came after. He and Nya finally found a place to call home, here in this sanctuary.

Jay talked about how he didn't remember much about his real parents or his family-all he knew was the zoos he would sometimes feature in, and his wonderful owners Ed and Edna. He told of their deaths, and of starting again in this sanctuary.

Cole reminisced on how he was once human. He liked to dance, and was very good at it. He was in a bus crash, and died. He explained his journey from being human, to being Golem. How he went from slavery to freedom, thanks to this sanctuary.

And now it was gone.


	10. Chapter 10: So yeah

**Wow! Can you believe it, we've already reached ten chapters. And 35 reviews so far! Y'all're beautiful people!**

 **Now comment reviews:**

 **jessicamoncada0824 - What's NOT to love about Dareth? ...Aside from his ego.**

 **TheAmberShadow - This is actually the chapter where I explain a little bit about Creatures. This is an important chapter, so make sure to read it!**

 **CraftyNinjaCat13 - Aw, thanks.**

 **This chapter is VERY important and introduces a crucial plot element. There's also a brief naughty joke, so just be warned. Also, not much fighting but a lot of exposition. It's a bit long and I'm sorry. Enjoy!**

* * *

"...But I am sure, seeing time, you know all that," Pixal groaned, and wiped a layer of sweaty grime off her forehead. "It seems that if I cannot fix our jeep, we will have to walk the rest of the way."

Zane knew this would happen, and he knew they were both going to be upset about it, but in all his experience knowing something never did equate to experiencing it. It was hot, and the air was sticky and coarse. Terrible conditions for someone like Zane.

A few facts Pixal seemed to have overlooked for a brief moment were that (a) she was in a desert, (b) the desert was hot, (c) Zane was made of ice, (d) ice melts, and (e) Zane was with her in the desert.

Smart as she was, Pixal Borg shouldn't have been surprised to look over and see her Visionayr in a half-liquid state.

She let out a small gasp. "Oh no!"

Now more motivated than ever to fix the car, she popped the hood back open. The purple-clad girl coughed as smoke rose into her lungs, squinting through a rush of hot air. Certainly the over-heated car only made Zane's predicament all the more worse.

He knew he would survive this, but she didn't. She feared that her excuse for finally leaving that Serpentine dungeon was about to expire, leaving her without a purpose for pushing on. She would be forever stranded, and maybe even take up residence as a desert hermit living alone with her insanity until the rusts of time overtook her.

She shook the thought out of her mind. Now wasn't the time for daydreaming. Now was the time for action.

Before he betrayed her trust, prompting her to run away in the first place, her father (if she could even call him that now) Cyrus Borg was something of a technological genius. He was the CEO and founder of Borg Industries, the creator of many bleeding-edge technologies. He came from humble beginnings as a mechanic. She remembered all the stories he told about him and his group of mechanic friends. If her memory wasn't failing her, their names were Julien, Ed, and Edna.

Among other things, he passed his mechanical know-how onto her. He always desired for her to follow in his footsteps, much like how Ed and Edna's Fairy protege had done with HIS 'parents'.

Mr. Borg even went so far as to get her job at a mechanic shop, so she would have the same origin story as her old man.

As much as she hated working there, at least all that effort would finally pay off.

She started with locating a tool box, which she found under the shotgun seat. Then she tried to cool down the engine, disassemble a few parts, and tighten/loosen screws here and there.

To no surprise, Pixal was actually making good progress on fixing their stolen vehicle.

...

But it wasn't fast enough.

Zane's spiky hair had begun to droop, cold sweat bleeding from his now-slippery skin. The seat was wet, and anything that he touched became damp within moments. His hands were vanishing, melting down his wrists. His face had become disfigured. His lips melted off, leaving his mouth eternally agape.

He gave a little chirp, but it was one of agony.

She looked up. "Oh my."

Not knowing what else to do, she did her best to drag him out of his seat. Her body heat only accelerated the process of Zane's slow and painful demise.

Pixal shoved him under the car, at least he would be in the shade there.

He still melted away, dampening the hot sand beneath him. It rubbed against his back in the most uncomfortable of ways-like having hot sand in one's shoe after a day at the beach, only this time the sand was deadly.

"No no no no!" Pixal exclaimed, frantic. "This cannot be happening!"

She seldom expressed much emotion, with good reason, but this was one of the few exceptions.

"Are you okay?" came a voice.

She pivoted on her heels, coming face-to-face with a person. They had sickly grey skin and black hair, reminding her of the godawful hairstyle her father always kept. He had dark clothes and bags under his eyes, and a faint but sour smile told her he could be trusted.

"Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same," said the stranger in his ominous voice, waving a Witch's wand in the air. A relenting sigh. "I'm Shade."

She responded with a sharp nod, and pulled Zane back out from under the jeep. "Please sir, you HAVE to help my friend."

Shade gawked at the horrific sight of this poor Visionayr-no, HALF of a Visionayr by now. "Come with me."

He snatched up Pixal's hand and she followed without question, carrying a weak Zane behind her.

After about a minute of running, the three of them arrived at a house. It was more of a hovel than anything, having fallen deep into a miserable state of disrepair.

Shade pulled open the creaking door, and dragged the two foreigners into the living room in all its squalid splendor. "Tox! Chamille!"

A moment of anticipation. Nothing happened, and all was quiet.

"Where the hell ARE they?"

Two brightly coloured figures bursted into the room, one heaving and blushing.

The other, a confident woman of purple hair and purple clothes, said "I was doing something."

The one who was blushing and sputtering followed behind the purple one. "I'M something-whoa, who are these people?" the messy-haired girl added. She had a green theme to her outfit.

"This Visionayr needs help," Shade hissed. "If you're doing screwing around, maybe we could give him some assistance."

The purple one whipped out a Witch's wand of her own, and looped two brawny arms under Zane's fragile body. "He might need a new essence."

"Do we HAVE any essences left?"

"I'll take him to the transfer room," the purple one commanded. "Shade, you check the basement to see if we have any essences left. Tox, you stay with the girl and make sure she's okay."

The green girl saluted them both. "Aye aye, cap'n."

All three, who Pixal assumed to be Witches, split ways. Pixal wanted to follow the purple one, but the green one kept her at bay.

"Sit down," she said. "You need rest. Chamille and Shade are good at this kind of thing. Your friend is in good hands. Please, let me make you some tea."

While the girl in the bio hazard crop-top left to another room, Pixal couldn't help but let worry get the best of her. She barely knew this Visionayr, not even his name, but for some reason she felt a strange...compatibility...with him.

The girl returned with a steaming brown mug. She handed it to her guest. "My name is Tox, by the way, and Shade's the emo guy. Chamille is the one with the purple hair, I guess you could say she's our leader."

While Pixal appreciated the hospitality, her head wasn't yet clear enough to say thank you. "What did they mean when they mentioned essences?"

Tox's friendly smile sunk, and she pulled up a chair. "Allow me to explain. We're Witches. Do you know what Witches are?"

Condescending tone aside, Pixal nodded. "Another type of Creature that can curse people and cast spells."

Tox smothered a laugh. "No, don't give us so much credit. We're really only capable of manipulating essences. I take it you don't know what essences are."

Pixal shook her head.

"Essences are what make us what we are," Tox explained. "I have a Witch essence, you have a human essence I assume, and your friend there has a Visionayr essence. If I were to trade your human essence for, say, a Vampire essence...you'd become a Vampire. If I simply gave you a Vampire essence without taking your human one, you'd become a Vampire Morph. You following, friend?"

Pixal nodded, and took a sip of the tea. It tasted disgusting, and if she hadn't had discreetly spit it out it would have poisoned her. Tox didn't know how fatal her cooking was, and neither Chamille nor Shade were gutsy enough to break her heart by telling her.

"Good," Tox hummed. "Your friend is so badly hurt that they can't nurse him back to health without giving him a new essence. Otherwise, he'd be stuck in a half-melted state for the rest of his life. That would be a terrible way to live, wouldn't it friend?"

"It would," Pixal murmured.

Tox patted her on the back.

Pixal was now engrossed in this concept of essences, a thing she never knew about. So many questions, and perhaps Tox could give her answers. "Is this how Creatures come into existence?"

"Just how Morphs come into existence, friend," Tox replied. "And I mean, the occasional human who wants to be a Creature for whatever godawful reason. There ARE some Creatures who are only what they are because of some mean Witch, but most Creatures are born that way. Then you have Golems, of course, which involve taking the heart of a dead person and putting it into a special geode found only on a certain mountain. Then you recite some fancy incantations or whatever and that brings the rock to life, thus reanimating the dead person's soul. And Ghosts only exist because they died or were cursed by a Ghost. And if a Vampire bites you, you're a Vampire."

Pixal shuddered, overwhelmed by such an info dump.

Tox put a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry friend, I tend to ramble a lot. That's way too much information for your little human mind to handle. Let's just go back to introductions, shall we? I'm Tox, and you are...?"

A cough. "Pixal. Pixal Borg."

"Ah. Lovely name. Your companion will be alright, Pixal Borg."

Then they were submerged in a long pause of silence. All that there was to think about was Zane, and if he would be alright. After giving him a new essence, would he still be a Visionayr? Would he be something else? She wanted to ask, but was too frozen to do so.

Then, a noise.

Chamille came into the room, panting. She beamed with over-confidence and strutted up to Tox.

"Hey, love," Tox greeted. "How did the transfer go?"

Chamille gave a wicked grin. "Perfect, as usual. Your buddy's fine, kid."

Pixal rose to her feet. "Can I see him?"

"Hold your horses, tiger," Chamille insisted. "You have something to know first."

Pixal bit her lips. "What is it?"

Chamille tucked her Witch's wand back into its holster at her waist. "Did Tox explain essences to you?"

"Yes."

"Good. We keep a storage of essences we collect from other customers in the basement. We've got everything from Ghosts to Golems and even a Light Fairy, rare as it is. Well, we DID. I hate to say it, but business has been down lately. We don't have many good essences left, especially no Visionayr ones."

"What are you saying?" Pixal croaked. "What did he turn into?"

Chamille clapped her hands together. "We did have one human essence on stock, so...yeah. Just thought you should know that before you rush in to see him."


	11. Chapter 11: The Boo Busters

**It's nice to see there was such a positive response to Zane turning human. Everyone seemed to like it. So much so that I've had probably more comments on this chapter than any other chapter. I love y'all, and appreciate your support everyone!**

 **Comment Reviews!**

 **Ebony umbreon - You're right about Morro and Cole. Sorry to say, but y'ain't right about Lloyd just yet. Although it would be interesting if he WAS a Light Fairy.**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Thanks!**

 **RJ - Haha! :)**

 **ObsidianChi - Thank you so much! I would have done it so that Kai was a phoenix (actually I was thinking demon/devil like from Howl's Moving Castle) and Nya be a mermaid, but it made more sense that siblings would be of the same species. Thanks for your support!**

 **TheAmberShadow - I like it when I (pleasantly, I hope) surprise my readers. You'll have to wait for everyone's reactions to Zane being human. I know, I'm so evil for making y'all wait for all the good stuff. It's worth the wait, I promise!**

 **elveron294 - I'm glad you like it, I was worried the whole essence thing would get confusing. And you're in luck, here's chapter 11!**

 **jessicamoncada0824 - Eh, you're fine. Talk about Dareth as much as you like. Thanks so much!**

 **NinjaMelissa - I know! And it'll only get worse from here!**

 **And now for chapter eleven. Enjoy!**

* * *

"What?!" he shrieks. "You can't do this to me!"

"Sorry," the police chief shrugs. "You're too much of a liability, Kaze."

"You're saying that just because I'm a Ghost!"

"Yes. Yes I am. You fail to realize that they'd sooner poach you than let you in."

"You don't know that! I can still be helpful, chief!"

"Kaze, get a hold of yourself. Dojo is going undercover in the Serpentine gang without you and that decision is final."

The moody Ghost crossed his arms over his chest. Dareth gave a sympathetic smirk and mouthed 'sorry'.

To Morro Kaze, sorry wasn't good enough. Sorry changed nothing. It didn't make his frustration any less painful. It didn't make him human, it didn't give him any more opportunity. It didn't change his circumstances. Sorry was just a word. Sorry meant nothing.

That conversation with his superior kept playing and replaying in his mind as he took a cold stroll down the streets of Jamanakai. He filtered through his phone, skimming over conversations with his internet friends (who he met via online chat rooms for Ghosts). Ghoultar and Bansha were discussing the crisis of Ghost representation in the media, and how excited they were for the upcoming release of 'Cloud Landing'-a video game with a Ghost protagonist.

Both of them were born Ghosts. It was a rare thing, for someone to be a Ghost since birth instead of becoming one by curse or death. Morro, on the other hand, was cursed. He still remembered that day.

Gunshots clapped overhead, and bullets whizzed past his face. He was crouched behind a wall of dirt and dead bodies, clutching his helmet with one hand and his rifle in the other.

He pressed his elbow into a gut wound, hoping to clog the blood-flow. He put the rifle at his side and began putting pressure on the injury. Where was a medic when you needed one?

Then, the spectre that ruined his life appeared. Tattered clothes were his apparel, with evergreen scars surrounding his darkly glowing eyes. His face was concealed by a purple cloth, and it muffled his ominous voice.

"You look like you could use a hand," the figure hissed.

"You a medic?" Morro asked, doubling the pressure on his wound.

The figure shrugged as bullets flew through him. "Of sorts. I could save you, if you wanted. I could make you next to impossible to kill."

"What, you gonna-urgh!-curse me and make me a Ghost, too? Dream on, phantom freak."

"I prefer the name Soul Archer," the figure corrected. "And you're right. But think about it. Nothing could kill you. Nothing could STOP you. You could probably save your friend. What's his name? Dareth is it?"

Morro then lunged his fleshy body at the Ghost, only to pass right through an intangible layer of ectoplasm. "Don't you dare touch my-"

"Your friend is safe," Soul Archer assured. "A man named Ronin is taking good care of him. I just happened to pass by them and see if they needed help. They told me to check on you, Morro, so here I am."

The human soldier heaved his shoulders, and rested his back on the wall. "Ah. Hah. I don't need saving, go take care of someone who actually...urgh!"

Soul Archer swooped in at Morro's side, and began reciting something. It was fast, and quiet, and magical.

His skin began to burn up, and his heart fluttered into oblivion. "Stop it," he gurgled. "I don't want to be a Ghost...Stop it I said!"

It wouldn't stop. He laid there, writhing in agony, as this horrible phantom cursed him. He tried to reach for his gun, but knew in his dying heart that bullets wouldn't do a thing to stop Soul Archer.

He had to embrace the inevitable, to embrace the numbness, to embrace death. It wasn't fair, he was too young to die.

Morro sighed, and kicked a rock. He clicked out of the chat room and checked his emails.

"What're you doing?" asked a voice.

Morro pivoted on his translucent heels to see a blonde boy with swooshy hair and a black hoodie. That Garmadon punk again. "Going for a walk. Is that such a crime, human?"

Lloyd scowled. "Hey, I'm not human. I'm a Creature, like you."

"SURE you are," Morro deadpanned, dry and sarcastic.

"Come on, officer." Lloyd followed after him. "Don't be like that. I heard about what happened with Dareth, and thought you could use some cheering up."

"Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Lloyd stiffened. "No. I still can't find a job."

"No surprise there."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Morro looked down at his phone again. A new email from...oh God. From HIM?

He clicked on the email. There was an attached jpeg file. He froze in his footsteps.

 _"Dear Officer Kaze,_

 _You and your stupid partner just LOVE to get all up in my business don't you? Yeah, we caught your friend. 'The Mighty Dareth Dojo' or whatever the hell he's going by nowadays."_

Morro's undead heart froze, not wanting to read another word. But he HAD to.

"What's wrong?" Lloyd asked. No reply.

 _"Well, he was trying to go undercover in the Serpentine gang. Needless to say, he accidentally came to the wrong location. Can you believe he's so stupid, that he tried to go undercover in the wrong organization? What a blockhead, am I right?"_

Crap.

Morro didn't care that Lloyd was looking over his shoulder, reading everything. This was...this was terrible!

 _"Look. If you want him back, you know where to find us. Come alone. You know what to do, you know what we want, and you know how to give it to us._

 _If you don't believe me, I even had the courtesy to send you photographic proof of his capture._

 _Yours truly,_

 _Mr. Ransom."_

Morro growled. He knew that alias, he knew this person. They had his partners. They were back. They wanted him.

The picture was of Dareth, whose hair had become unkempt and crusted with blood. He duct-taped into submission, his mouth shut and his arms behind his back. Yet still there was a cocky feel to him, despite his circumstances. Like he was still trying to be optimistic (and arrogant) even in captivity.

"What's this?" Lloyd asked, shuddering with concern.

"A message from the Boo Busters," Morro answered with a cold voice. "An anti-Ghost hate group. I've had run-ins with them before. They're always trying to find ways to end me and all other Ghosts like me. They believe it's a crime in and of itself to let a Ghost be on the police force."

Lloyd gasped. "What are we going to do?"

"WE aren't going to do anything," Morro seethed. "YOU'RE going to not intervene and I'M going to go save my friend."

Morro then walked off, leaving Lloyd too dumbfounded by his use of the word 'friend' to move. He NEVER called Dareth his friend. Partner, sure, but friend? Lloyd was astonished at the notion that Morro even HAD friends.

Once the shock faded, Lloyd ran after Morro. He pulled out a flip-phone (which Jay had so lovingly bought for him with his handsome Fairy Stop salary) and dialed up Kai. He was the only one who had lunch break at this time of day.

"Lloyd? What's the deal?"

He huffed, and took a turn around a corner. Morro was picking up the pace. "I just...Dareth's been kidnapped! And I'm following Morro to try and help."

"What do you want me to do, Lloyd?"

"I-I don't know! I'll call you back when I arrive at the location!"

"Okay, call me."

Lloyd then hung up. Running, feet pounding. Everyone looked at him, but didn't think much of it. They didn't give him the same looks they gave Morro. After all, a Ghost running around looked an awful lot more suspicious to those who believed stereotypes.

"Caw, caw!"

Lloyd looked up to see a falcon. It flew in, flapping its wings at the side of Lloyd's head. "What's the deal with all this running, kid?"

His heart skipped a beat before realizing it was Farukon. "Oh! I'm chasing after Morro."

"Why?"

"Dareth's been kidnapped...and the kidnappers want Morro to come alone."

"So you're chasing after him why?"

"He shouldn't come alone, no Creature left...behind..."

Farukon rolled her Shifter eyes, but decided not to argue with the Creature wannabe. "Mind if I tag along, so you don't do anything stupid?"

Lloyd frowned at her statement (he didn't like to be called stupid), but relented and allowed her to join.

Through heavy breaths, he proceeded to explain the circumstances to his falcon friend.

Flying, running, chasing after the black-haired Ghost in front of them. He hoped Dareth was okay. He hoped they could get there in time.

Farukon just wanted to keep Lloyd from getting in the way. When a ransom note said to come alone, they often meant it. She'd have to keep him in the shadows in order to prevent a catastrophe from happening.

Morro phased through a door, one belonging to a big abandoned warehouse: the Boo Busters headquarters.


	12. All You Need is Love (and a name)

**Sorry I took so long to update. Inspiration doesn't turn on like a faucet, and that's partly why this chapter is fairly short.**

 **Comment Reviews!**

 **Fairycakeater - Well Nya and Kai are the size of humans, but with wings. Cole is a good few feet taller, probably ten or twelve feet tall. Then Zane I'd say is maybe 4'-4'10". Lloyd is also normal human size. Really the only characters that aren't normal height are Cole and Zane. And thanks for reviewing!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - I think he'd be coming after you with much more than just a spiky bat. Let's just say Morro doesn't get along very well with the Boo Busters.**

 **TheAmberShadow - You guessed it! 'Cloud Landing' is a play on Cloud Kingdom. Yeah, the Boo Busters are basically if the KKK and Ghostbusters had a baby. You've never seen Ghostbusters?!**

 **RJ - Yep, he's a Creature. But what kind of Creature? :)**

 **ObsidianChi - Poor Morro's got a fate worse than death coming his way. And don't worry, I love commenting on y'all's comments. Thanks for the compliment!**

 **Guest - Thanks for pointing that out about Cole's backstory. Now that you point that out, I will now work on finding a clever way to mask that plothole. Thanks!**

 **elveron294 - Thank you SO much for your comment, seeing it actually is what inspired me to get this chapter out this morning.**

 **You are all wonderful people and your comments mean so much to me like you wouldn't believe! Sorry this chapter is short, but I hope you still enjoy it!**

* * *

A strange girl embraced him, his face contorted into one of confusion. He didn't remember ever being made of flesh, or really anything for that matter. His mind was blank and dark and fuzzy, and it turned to mental static whenever he tried to dwell on certain subjects.

"You are alright!" the girl exclaimed.

He pushed her away to get a better look at her. It was a gut feeling that told him he ought to remember her. After all, such a reaction meant SHE at least knew HIM.

Perhaps she could give him answers to the strange darkness looming over his memories. "Who are you?"

She pursed her lips, startled and surprised. "I-I am Pixal Borg."

"Who am I?"

Her perfect eyes looked away with guilt. "I was hoping you could tell ME. All I know is that the Serpentines had you, and that you were a Visionayr, and that you and I escaped. These people here found us, and they turned you human. I do not know your name."

Now it was his turn to be in shock. These names and things...so familiar yet so distant.

Visionayr: Creature made of ice that can see time.

Serpentine: anthropomorphic snake-person with certain abilities, depending on their subspecies. Also, the name of a gang of poachers (these poachers are human). The poachers are believed to have assumed such a name to put the blame on the REAL Serpentine, thus perpetuating hateful rhetoric and justifying the persecution of the real Serpentine based on mere propaganda.

...

Wait, how did he know all that? Perhaps his mind wasn't a complete blank slate after all.

Beyond this stunning jewel of a person were three other individuals. One was dressed in purple, another green, and the last was a man of grey and black. How emo.

The flawless, silver-haired girl sat herself beside him on what seemed to be a bed of sorts. She rubbed her shoulder, which was covered by purple squiggly tattoos.

Her eyes put him into a trance as she bore deep into his soul. Maybe she could find something-anything-about him there. To her dismay, his soul turned out being just as empty as his mind was.

"Why is he like this?" she asked.

"No one has ever turned a Visionayr human," said the grey one. "Too gutsy, too dangerous. It's believed that Visionayrs are all fragments of time itself, so turning one human could have consequences."

Did this mean that...he used to BE time? Impossible.

Another one nodded and smacked her mint green lips. "Yeah, imagine if he could remember all he saw and knew when he was a Visionayr. He'd be able to tell us the future! Society just isn't ready for that kind of power, and I think making him forget is the universe rectifying that."

The girl named Pixal took a heavy breath. "Right. That makes sense."

"So what's your next move?" asked the one with purple hair and a purple corset.

Pixal shook her head, silver curls swaying in an elegant fashion as she did. "I do not know. I had not planned that far ahead. All I knew was that I had to get Zane and myself out of the Anacondrai base."

"So you went rogue?"

"Something like that, yes."

"Cool. An enemy of my enemy is my friend. Welcome aboard, 'Pixal'." The purple one gave her a hearty pat on the back before the three of them filed out of the room. "We'll give you two some alone time."

The door closed. Everything had become so void of life, with only one other breathing entity to share this space with him. Not even his memories kept him company.

"What should I call you?"

"I don't know. Maybe my name will come to, eventually."

"Do you think so? Tox may be right about the universe making you forget to keep the world from knowing the future."

Ah, so the green one was Tox. He made a mental note not to forget that, if he had a choice. "I suppose so. And you say I used to be a Visionayr?"

"Yes, and the vehicle I commandeered for our escape broke down. We are in a desert, you see, and-"

"Ice doesn't mix well with heat," he added.

"Precisely."

His eyes trailed out to catch a glimpse of the window. It was dingy and dusted with a film of dust. Past the time-worn glass panel was an ocean of dry, raspy sand. There was so much sand that if the horizon weren't there, the desert might have melted into the sky.

He really was in the desert, the middle of nowhere no less.

"What do we plan to do now, Pixal? Where are we headed? Where were we headed before your car broke down?"

"I was planning on heading to the nearest town," she answered. "But now I want to see what you would like to do, now that you can articulate your opinions more clearly to me."

It dawned on him that she was right. The Visionayr-turned-human had a hard time imagining what life must have been like for him before. He may have had all that knowledge at this disposal, but he wouldn't have been able to tell people or warn them. That must have been hell for him.

It gave him quite a rush, to realize he could impact where they went and what they did next. But he barely knew the first thing about this world.

Disappointing, but the only revolutionary idea he could come up with was agreeing with Pixal. "That seems like a good plan. But what will we do when we arrive to the nearest town?"

She cast her head down. "Like I said, I have not planned very far ahead. I imagine, however, that we would need a place to stay and possibly jobs. We would need to also alert the authorities about what happened. How does that all sound to you, Echo?"

He cocked his head. "Echo?"

"Yes." she shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms over her flat chest. "Since, no offense, you are a mere 'echo' of who you were before."

The name was a harsh jab in the ribs, a painful reminder that he couldn't remember anything at all. She was right, despite her lack of eloquence. He was a mere echo of his former self.

But he could surely create a new life with this new name. It was then and there that he decided his last life was arbitrary, and likely frustrating. But now he was free, he was human, and he was born anew. He figured it would be best to put more stock in this new reality of his than the old one.

A soft smile stained his lips as he said, "I love that name. You can call me Echo."

Perhaps a part of him actually liked the name. Mostly he agreed with her choice because he very much appreciated this Pixal person, and was compelled to agree with everything she said. Her voice was sweet, her face was smooth, and there was a soothing aura about her that told him everything would be alright.

Yes, it wasn't that he loved the name itself. It was that he loved the person who came up with it.


	13. Chapter 13: The Ultimate Showdown

**I'm sure you were all bothered that I didn't follow up with that Pixane intermission chapter, but now we're back. Let's see what kind of trauma our favourite ghostie-goo will deal with today! :) But for now...**

 **Comment reviews:**

 **Fairycakeater - Thanks, and sorry I guess for getting him stuck in your head...**

 **Ebony umbreon - Yeah, when I do AUs I try to include at least a little bit of cannon. Like what's about to happen with our little trio.**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - The long-awaited continuation of the Boo Busters problem continues in this chapter!**

 **TheAmberShadow - REALLY? No way. I'm so sorry I hadn't updated by then, I didn't think anyone was interested enough to check for updates like that! I'm...I'm touched! And that's like the only line to that song that ANYONE really knows.**

 **toothlessturtle21 - Eh, technically this makes Zane the only other human aside from Dareth. Remember, Lloyd IS a Creature (I just haven't said what kind)**

 **ObsidianChi - I think you'll be quite humoured by the interactions between Zane and the Creatures when they finally unite. Thanks, will do!**

 **elveron294 - I know! I love Pixane too, and there's more of it in future chapters and I'm super excited for y'all to read it!**

 **Now in this next chapter if I don't get at least one person screaming at me, I've failed you all...Enjoy!**

* * *

"I thought we were waiting for Kai to get here," Farukon said.

Lloyd's jaw clenched. "We don't have time to wait! Morro's already in there and who knows what could happen next!"  
Farukon shrugged, and with a poof took on human form. She crossed her arms and pressed herself against a pole. "Okay, okay. No need to get all eager beaver. We need to assess the situation, kid."  
Lloyd growled at the title, despite him actually being a child. "I'm not—ugh, never mind. We just need to go in there! We can't let him brave this alone!"  
She rolled her eyes and let out a relenting sigh. "Calm down, already. We're going in, but we're doing it MY way."  
"What?" Lloyd whined. This was very out-of-character for the blondie, but the situation was grim and he was compelled to act fast. Maybe it was just that he had childish tendencies, because instead of growing up and maturing he spent his adolescence…well, never mind. "What does YOUR way entail?"

She stood up straighter and leaned in. "Well first of all, stealth. So you can stop your yammering and listen up."

He pursed his lips, embarrassed at the realization of how stupid he was being. "S-sorry."  
"No prob." She cracked her neck before continuing. "So we sneak in without them realizing, and help if/when needed. Understand?"

"But—"

"Who has more experience with fighting?"  
"You."  
"Who's older?"  
"You."

"And who could easily beat you into oblivion if you don't do what I say?"

"You would really do that?"  
The Shifter smirked. "No, but it's the thought that counts. You ready to go under, big guy?"  
He gave an affirmative nod, and followed her up to the warehouse door. The sky had quickly grown overcast, as a sort of omen for what was to come. Hopefully it would not rain, or else getting Morro out alive would be a difficult maneuver.

They ran up to the door. Farukon made a fist. In a poof of smoke, a small alligator head appeared in place of where her hand should have been.

She held the animal head up to the chains holding the doors shut, and it clamped down. Snap! Chomp! Chink!

The chain fell off thanks to her hand's monstrous bite. Another poof and her hand was back to normal.

His face was one of shock. "Y-you can do that?"  
She shrugged. "Yeah. Pretty HANDY, huh?"  
He groaned in response and placed his hand on the door handle. With a yank, the door creaked open.

"How did Morro get in through here if the door is chained up?"  
"Ghosts can walk through walls, genius," Farukon deadpanned. "But that's hardly the point: why is it so empty here?"  
The two of them kept walking, albeit clinging to the wall the wall the whole time. Submerged in darkness they kept on.

In another, more secluded and tucked-away corner of the warehouse was their destination. There, a Ghost and a group of jumpsuit-wearing people were negotiating something.

An officer in brown clothes was tied to a chair. His hair had grown unkempt and messy in his time as a captive, but he seemed to be the only one who cared.

The Ghost swallowed hard. "What do you want, Ransom?"

A man in a denim jumpsuit and a golden badge pinned to his breast pocket sauntered to the front of the pack. "You know what I want, you phantasmal menace of a thing."

"You STILL want me to resign?" Morro grumbled. "Give up."

"No, YOU need to give up." Mr. Ransom snapped his fingers and in an instant, a swarm of jumpsuit lackeys surrounded the three of them. One of them held a knife to Dareth's throat, another a gun to his head. A bit overkill, in Morro's mind. "I've got you surrounded, and your good buddy is in danger. Just quit the police force and we'll let you go, as long as there aren't any…altercations…to complicate things."  
Morro squinted his eyes. "What kind of altercations are we talking about?"  
Two of Mr. Ransom's grunts stormed in, each holding a different person in handcuffs. The first grunt held a young blonde boy, and the second was struggling to restrain a Shifter.

"Sir!" one of them exclaimed. "We found these two lurking around."

The Shifter shrieked. She tried hard to squirm and shift, maybe into something either really big or really small, but the handcuffs were made of Vengestone (a material that muted the powers of any and all Creatures).

Morro face-palmed, trying hard not to scream at them. His voice was icy and dead. "What the HELL are you two doing here?"

Lloyd gave a guilty cringe. "Helping?"  
Mr. Ransom let out a laugh. "That's what I call an altercation, sir."  
Morro pivoted back to face his enemy. "So help me God if you hurt Dareth I'll—"

Chk-chunk! The leader of the Boo Busters propped a strange device on his shoulders. It seemed like a canon of sorts, or just a scary gun. Attached to it was a tank of water.

The water bubbled and the machine whirred. Farukon kept struggling. Dareth and Lloyd watched intently, curious and afraid of what was to happen next.

Dareth managed to pry his mouth free of the duct tape, though no one knew how, and shouted, "What IS that thing?!"  
Mr. Ransom smirked. "Carbonated water gun. You know what will happen to you if I blast this at your face, 'Officer Kaze'."  
Morro bit his cheek. "What are you planning, Ransom?"  
He shrugged, and the water sloshed. "Meh. Probably kill you here and now. Hmm, then I think I'll go after the trouble-making emo chic, then Dareth, then the cute blondie."  
"WHAT?!" shouted the four protagonists in unison.

Mr. Ransom shrugged. "Please, you act like this is all my fault. If you had only come alone like I TOLD you, you'd be walking off scotch free AND with your annoying little friends in tow."  
Morro glared at Lloyd and Farukon.

Lloyd looked about ready to cry. If he hadn't had intervened, none of this would have happened. He should have just stayed back like Morro told him. He never was good at listening, and now he and his friends would be paying the price. _Stupid Lloyd, such a failure. I always screw things up._

Farukon was still writhing, now inspired by Ransom's words to try harder. With a grunt, she tossed her kidnapper to the floor.

She kicked a few others out of the way, and took care of Lloyd's guard.

He smirked. Finally the tables were turning. He lunged for Dareth, and tore at the duct tape.

"I could have gotten it myself, you know," Dareth boasted.

"Whatever you say," Lloyd said sarcastically.

Dareth, Lloyd, and Farukon all had their backs against one another. Two of them may have been in cuffs and one was as useless as he was talkative, but they were NOT going to let that stop them.

Morro ran to join them, and possibly even break them free so they could fight…

A man pulled him back. Mr. Ransom, specifically. The rough sensation of Mr. Ransom's jumpsuit against his skin caused him to realize that his enemy's clothes were infused with Deepstone—the only material other than water that could defeat him. His kryptonite.

Mr. Ransom whistled, which caught the attention of Morro's friends. Their heads all turned to see Morro pinned up against Mr. Ransom's chest, with the strange contraption up against his temple.

Everyone in the audience froze.

"Do you know what will happen if I pull the trigger?"

"He dies?" Dareth offered.

Mr. Ransom chortled. "Well YEAH, but do you know what carbonated water does to him?"  
Farukon's victory smile sunk. Something clicked in her mind. "Carbonated water has bubbles, right? So it is not pure liquid. Which means it won't kill him in instantly."  
Ransom smiled, but it was fake. "Good job, genius. Seems not everyone in the world is an idiot. For the two of you who DON'T get it, it means that this machine here will not only KILL him but it will give him a LONG and EXCRUCIATING death."  
Dareth rose his hand. "Mr. Ransom sir? How can he 'die' if he's already dead? He IS a Ghost, y'know."  
Ransom wanted to face-palm, but couldn't because was a little busy holding his nemesis at gunpoint. "Let's just get this over with."  
Farukon knew what was happening. She ran as fast as she could.

Feet thudding against the concrete. Heart pounding. Lloyd and Dareth held the others off her back.

Step step step step—

Shhh-Bang!

…

She was too late.

Everything moved so much slower, like time had stopped. Morro's body fell to the ground in a graceful collapse, Lloyd ran to his side, and Dareth was knocked unconscious. Farukon stood there briefly, in shock and not sure what to do.

Lloyd shook Morro, but his hands fell through. It was as if the Ghost was glitching. Fading in and out, in and out, in and out.

Mr. Ransom pointed a gun (one with bullets, not water) at Farukon's head. She dodged, putting her cuffs in the way.

Pang! The bullet broke them open. Now she could transform.

In a poof, she was a lion. A black lion, with hypnotic purple eyes. She pounced. He was thrusted into the ground.

Many of the goons retreated. Mr. Ransom couldn't, he was pinned to the ground.

"Come on, Morro," Lloyd sobbed. "You'll be okay."  
"W-where's Dareth?" Morro asked. "I-I need to-to apologize...to him...m-my old...friend..."

Lloyd glanced over to see where Dareth had gone. Morro's partner was laying not far away, knocked out.  
Shaking uncontrollably, the Ghost cop thrusted a transparent hand into his pocket. He pulled out a small pin with colourful text reading, 'Creatures are People too!' He remembered the day Dareth gave it to him, and a blissful smile of agony swept across his dying face.

Farukon ran up to them in human form, and wiped some blood off her lips. Mr. Ransom's corpse was behind her. She got on her knees and wondered why she cared so much about Morro. Why did any of them care so much about Morro to do all this for him. He was a bit of a jerk, and was so cold and heartless (Mr. Ransom was also heartless now, thanks to Farukon's excellent body-mutilation skills).

Morro flickered violently, like a candle flame trying hard not to burn out. But he was burning out, and it was slow and painful.

There are no words to describe the slow process of flipping between being real and being non-extant. Morro knew he'd never find such words to fit his predicament, he just knew that 'excruciating beyond measure' was a gross understatement.

Farukon swallowed. "We need to save him."  
"How?!"  
"His essence is unstable."  
"His what?"  
"The thing that makes him a Ghost," Farukon groaned. She turned to him, and looked into Morro's deep dead eyes. "You were a human before this, right?"  
He nodded, but it could have been his convulsions. "If we match him up with a human body-and by match up I mean let him possess-then we can save him. He'll have to take permanent residence in a human body in order to survive."

"How does THAT work?"

"We don't have time to talk about the science, Lloyd! You are the only feasible option for him to possess!"  
"What about Dareth?"  
"He's unconscious and it's illegal to possess someone without their permission! You're his only hope!"  
"I'm not human, Farukon! What other things can he possess?"  
"Not inanimate objects, if that's what you're asking," says Farukon. "I mean he could under normal circumstances, but he needs a stable human essence to keep him alive. I have a Shifter essence, so I won't work...Morphs! Morphs work, because they have a human AND a Creature essence! But crap, there aren't any Morphs around. What do we do, what do we do?"  
Morro coughed, and rolled onto his side in fetal position. He couldn't bear the pain any longer. He just wanted to die already.

Lloyd's father and uncle put their lives into protecting and caring for Creatures. Now it was his turn to follow in their footsteps. "A Morph, you say?" A pause. Was Lloyd Garmadon really ready to do this?

Yes. Yes he was.

"I'll do it," he said.

Farukon didn't think twice or ask him to reconsider. She knew they were running out of time, and for whatever reason felt compelled to keep this bothersome spectre of a man alive.

All Lloyd had to do was lay down in Morro's body. Lloyd took his time as he set himself on the ground. It was cold and unforgiving, and made him think about how cold Morro must have been to be dead and dying.

He curled himself up, trying his best to match Officer Kaze's exact position. Farukon watched in awe. The two glowed green. She shielded her eyes from the brightness of the light. Faint screams could be heard, as two faces and souls swirled into one body...

The possession was complete.


	14. Will of the Wisp

**Huh. That was weird. I updated chapter 13, but it didn't show up on the recent story page if y'all know what I mean. But whatever. Hope that doesn't happen again.**

 **Now: Comment Reviews!**

 **Ebony umbreon - How do I respond to this? Um...GASP.**

 **elveron294 - You'll find out soon enough!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Well he will be possessed for a while, but not forever. Don't worry, Lloyd will be back in time.**

 **Enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

It was dinner time. Shade had just come back from a long and fruitless day of scavenging. Chamille was checking storage, and had been ranting for the past hour about how few essences they had in stock. Business wasn't what one would call booming.

Tox had finished setting the table. Echo was in their tiny kitchen, working up a sweat over soup. He wiped his dainty human hands on his pink floral apron. "Tox, would you please call everyone to dinner?"

The green-clothed girl saluted him. "Sure thing, friend." With that she dashed out the dining room. Her first stop was the basement, where Shade and Chamille were bickering over some thing or other.

"Time for dinner, love," Tox chirped. The two paused their argument to join her.

"Already?" Shade asked as they marched up the basement stairs.

Chamille snatched up Tox's hand, and the two of them blushed.

Shade rolled his emo eyes. "Ugh. Get a ROOM."

They emerged at the top of the stairs, where Chamille and Tox split ways. Chamille and Shade headed on to seat themselves around the splintered dining table, while Tox headed to the shed to summon Pixal.

She was covered in grime and oil, and groaned when she felt Tox's presence. She was SO CLOSE to getting the jeep fixed, if she only had a bit more time and a few extra hands.

"Dinnertime?"

"You guessed it, friend."

Pixal pulled herself out from under the car hood and wiped her hands off on an oil-stained handkerchief. She tossed it at the work bench, where it draped over a wrench.

She unbuttoned her work overalls, and let them drop to the ground. She stepped out of it, now wearing a white tank top and denim shorts. The shortness of her sleeves exposed her tattoos, which Tox hadn't seen the full extent of until now.

They coiled around on her skin, like venomous snakes or mystical runes (or both). The ink spread across her cheeks, and scuffed up her bruised kneecaps.

Pixal knew that Tox was staring. People tended to do that when they saw her markings. "You are staring."

"Oh!" Tox sputtered and looked away, finally understanding why Echo had a crush on Pixal Borg. "S-sorry."

Pixal slipped into a purple cardigan, digging her hands into her pockets as she followed Tox to the dining room.

After a long, quiet, awkward walk up to their house and down the hall...

...

Shade and Chamille had resumed their bickering, with Echo pouring soup into everyone's cups. Tox looked on with longing. She used to be the designated cook, but apparently her food wasn't good enough-something about it being a danger to human/Creature health.

Tox sat herself beside Chamille, at the head of the table, and Pixal was wedged between Shade and Echo.

"So how is everyone doing today?" Echo asked.

Chamille briefly growled at Shade before responding, "Good. Same ol' same ol'. How's your progress on fixing the jeep, Pixal?"

The ex-Anacondrai took a deep breath. She would ramble on about the mechanics of a car, all that as wrong, all that she fixed, and all she has left to fix. Then it dawned on her that none of them would have a clue as to what she was saying. Pixal shrugged. "Decent. I may have it fixed soon."

"What do you plan to do when it's all fixed?"

Echo and Pixal exchanged glances. In all their time together, not much had been decided on the matter. They weren't sure what they would do once they made it to the nearest town.

The latter shrugged. "I think we will 'cross that bridge when they come to it' as they say."

The former cocked his head. "We will be crossing bridges?"

Everyone groaned at his ignorance. "It's an expression," said Tox. "It means that things will be figured out when it's time to figure them out."

Shade stirred his soup with a glum look. "That's not necessarily the greatest plan, you know. Will you get a job, contact loved ones, start a life, get a house, what?"

The two nodded heads at each other. "Those seem like feasible options," Echo agreed. "Do you suppose we could get any support from your family, Pixal?"

"I have no family," Pixal hummed.

Chamille snorted. "Psh. Liar."

"Excuse me?"

The leader of the group folded her arms over her voluptuous chest. "Oh please. You're 'Pixal Borg'. I've seen the missing flyers around town, kid. You're the daughter of some rich inventor CEO guy."

Tox put a hand on her friend's leg and spoke in a calming voice. "We haven't been to town in a long time, love. Things may have changed."

Pixal looked away. "They have not changed," she mumbled. "You are right, Chamille."

"You mean that's all true?" Echo asked, eyes wide.

She nodded guiltily. "I ran away from home. I could not live in that house, with him." She wiped away a single tear. She had to be strong for Echo, and for herself. She wouldn't dare live with herself if she showed a single sign of weakness. She couldn't be weak, she wasn't weak.

"Can I ask why?" Shade inquired with raised eyebrows.

Echo frowned at his bowl of ugly soup. Whenever he made soup, things tended to get heated at the dinner table. Perhaps they didn't like his cooking? That would make sense, since he spent his whole life as a Visionary (he couldn't tell for sure, but had a feeling Visionayrs don't cook much).

Pixal bobbed her head and sighed. She was about to unravel all the secrets of her past. "I spent my whole life thinking I was human, thinking my mother died a hero on the battlefield during the Great War."

Echo made a mental note to ask about the Great War after Pixal was done sharing her story.

"Then one day, he told me the truth: that my mother died in an anti-Creature rally. She was a Creature. She was a Wisp."

The three Witches were shaken with disbelief. "So you're half-Wisp?"

Before he could ask, Tox turned to Echo and answered what they all knew was on his mind. "Wisps are like Ghosts, but can't possess other people and aren't weak against water."

"But what are-"

"Ghosts are like Ghouls, only less carnivorous."

Echo sank into his seat. That didn't answer his question.

Pixal pulled a lock of hair behind her ear. "Yes, although I much more take after my father as you can clearly see." She stifled a laugh. "It sounds so trivial when I say it aloud-I ran away because my father lied to me about my past. But it...it means a lot to me. Imagine if someone were to lie to you about your past, about your very species. So I ran away. I was picked up by the Serpentines, who gave me a roof over my head and food to eat as long as I pitched in."

"Why can't you go back?" Echo chimed in. "To, you know, fix things with your father?"

Ugh. Another one of those people trying to push her to make amends. She tried to hold down a grumble and instead be polite. "I would not expect you to understand, Echo. You are young, more or less, and you have much to learn."

No one seemed to disagree with her, to Echo's immense chagrin. The way they all talked down to him could be patronizing at times. He may have had amnesia, but he wasn't stupid.

They continued to talk on and on about all their woes, sharing their life stories with one another. Echo just washed the dishes and listened in while the 'adults talked'. He was treated like a child, and he hated it.

He also wanted to pitch into the conversation, but had no life story with which to contribute. His lungs heaved with a heavy breath. He set the dishes on the drying rack and dried his hands, before hanging his apron on a wall hook.

Maybe when he went to this 'town' he had heard so much about, he could get a 'job' and earn 'money' and prove himself to Pixal. She was such a stunning person, both in appearance and in personality. All he wanted was to impress her, and to make her proud.

So far, he was doing a terrible job of that.


	15. The Body-Sharing Duo

**I'm just not up to my normal updating speed these days, I'm sorry. But here's a new chapter, for your troubles.**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **CraftyNinjaCat13 - I'm honestly debating on whether or not he WILL get his memories back. Thanks!**

 **TheAmberShadow- To be completely honest, I'm not a big fan of girlxgirl either (that doesn't make me a bad person, does it?). But this story is mainly about minorities and minority struggles, so I figured it would only be fair to represent all kinds of people. I might have a Muslim character in the future, but the jury's still out on that one. No, Farukon really took out his heart. She was angry. Thanks for your comment!**

 **ObsidianChi - Yeah, the Morro and Lloyd angst will only get worse from here I promise. Get your heart and your tissues ready. :)**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - I mentioned in the chapter that he needed anyone with a human essence, and Morphs have two: a human and a Creature essence. Also I don't think Morro can turn into a Wisp, but it sure would be cool if he could.**

 **Now...enjoy!**

* * *

If one wanted to get a hold of Morro, they would have to go to the nearest indoor pool and fish him out of the water. He usually wasn't too happy when someone did, especially on Saturdays (days he designated to swimming and only swimming). It was the routine he had back when he was human and on the Olympic Swimming Team.

Possessing the body of a Morph made slipping back into old habits extremely easy: wake up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, go for a run, take a shower, go to work, come back, eat dinner, watch TV, fall asleep on the couch, repeat.

There were, however, a few changes that made his usual routine seem a little UN-usual. For example he was older now, had blonde hair that he could swear was dyed that way, and had a new appreciation for being able to use water.

And the nagging voice in his head. There was also that.

Said voice belonged to one Lloyd Garmadon. Though he was not in control of the body they now shared, he could still influence their collective actions through the power of suggestion. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't a very persuasive person. And whenever he gave advice is was often things like, _Don't forget to take out the trash_ , _The walk sign doesn't say walk so don't cross yet_ , _Your microwave is beeping_ , and _Tell Jay I say hi._

On the note of Kai, he took to Lloyd and Morro's predicament worse than anyone else. Jay was weirded out but covered up how he felt with humour. Cole took time to adjust to this new development as he did with all changes, but once he got used to it he was better adjusted than anyone else in the group. Ronin was deeply mortified but tried not to show it. Nya distracted herself with DIY projects around the house to distract herself from thinking about it too much. Dareth just thought it was pretty neat, and always inquired with nagging questions about what it was like to share a body. Farukon was under constant scrutiny for her decision to instigate the possession in the first place, but she stood by that choice no matter what.

And then there was Kai. Lloyd couldn't understand why he was so upset about it, since they weren't really too close to begin with. Until the Serpentine invasion and Zane's abduction, he was just a big-ego social media animal with the occasional tendency to get high. But now he had developed into a protective, snappy person. He still retained some of his flirtatious and goofy qualities, but got fierce when his friends were put on the line. To be honest Lloyd was just honoured to be considered Kai's friend.

 _You should get diet cherry._

"Oh yeah," grumbled Morro. "Because death by gross taste is how I want my second death to go."

 _What do you have against diet cherry? I rather like it._

"And I like my coke plain and simple," he groaned, and inserted a coin into the vending machine. He pressed a few buttons. Thnk, thnk thnk!

He retrieved the fallen soda bottle, twisted the cap part-way, waited for the bubbles to die down, then twisted it the rest of the way.

 _So what do you suppose the reviewing panel will say?_

Morro shrugged and took a sip, leaning against the wall. "Can't say for certain. Let's just hope I don't get suspended like Dareth was."

 _Well everything on your side was legal, wasn't it? If anything I should be getting suspended for following you._

"You're not even a cop, Lloyd." Another sip.

 _Well I am NOW. My body is, and you are, so doesn't that make ME a cop by consequence? When I was little I always wanted to work on the police force._

"We've all got dreams, don't we?" Morro paused and waited for a person to pass by before continuing his conversation. "Then we learn that dreams don't come true."

 _Hey now, let's not get too dark okay? When I was younger I got abducted by a bad person, who did some bad things to me. And I dreamed that I'd get to see my family again, and I did. So don't say dreams don't come true._

"But now they're gone," Morro argued.

 _Touche. But the fact remains. Not all dreams come true, sure, but some of them do._

Morro slid into a sitting position, and sloshed his drink around before sipping. "Not mine."

 _You became a Ghost, which hindered your ability to swim big-time. But now you CAN swim, in my body._

"Yeah well. Your body isn't as good a swimmer as mine was...And your body also hates the taste of normal coke."

 _Haha. I TOLD you to go for the diet cherry. My body, my rules._

Morro rolled his eyes and tossed his drink into the trash. He shuffled through a green coin pouch in his back pocket for another quarter. "Your rules-"

"Kaze?"

Morro jolted. He pivoted on his heels to face the police chief, who was short and had a nasty combover. "Yessir?"

"The reviewing panel has made their decision."

"And?"

He groaned. "And you not only keep your badge, but also are permitted to go on the undercover mission."

Lloyd cheered inside his head, which made keeping an emotionless face very difficult. He bowed. "Thank you, sir."

The chief snorted-"Hmph!"-and walked the other way. He never approved of Morro, or Ghosts in general.

 _Sweet! See Morro, some dreams DO come true._

Morro ignored how cheesy that sounded, and continued to smile with glee. All the way through town, he beamed at everyone he saw. This put everyone in for a loop, because anyone who knew Morro Kaze knew he didn't smile and was seldom happy.

Most people blamed it on Lloyd being a positive influence on him, but really it was just that life was really looking up for him.

And then it hit the both of them that the others would be extremely unhappy.

It was weird for Kai to see the face of a friend walk down the stairs, but had the voice and mind of someone else. "What do YOU want, Morro?"

 _No need to have an attitude, Kai._

"Where is everyone? I have an important announcement to make."

Kai gave a suspicious look before shouting, "GUYS! MORRO AND LLOYD ARE HERE!"

In an instant, the main area became a room of buzzing excitement and chaos. Everyone rushed in at once, wanting to interact with the body-sharing duo that rarely visited anymore.

Once the noise simmered down, Morro spoke up. "I've been accepted for the undercover mission. In two days Lloyd and I will be headed off to the Serpentine headquarters to begin our recon and infiltration."

Everyone was dead silent.

"I was put to your case, after all," Morro continued. "I promised I would do all in my power to get your friend and Lloyd's family back to you safely. This is one step towards that goal."

"But this would be risking Lloyd's life. I just can't let you."

 _Can you tell Kai that I want to do this?_

Morro coughed. "Lloyd says that he wants to do this."

Kai leaned in so that Morro could smell his breath. "And how can I believe you, huh? I can't hear his voice. Maybe if you stopped possessing him-"

"Kai!" Nya boomed. Cole pulled him away from the officer and quietly told him to calm down.

Jay, meanwhile, was all giddy. "Ooh, can we come too? I've always wanted to be a spy." He did a few cheesy karate chops in midair.

Morro shook his head. "No one is coming with us. We're doing this alone."

"You either come with all of us or none of us," Kai threatened. "We're not letting you take Lloyd and his body without our supervision."

Lloyd let out an exasperated sigh. _Supervision? I'm not a child anymore._

"And besides," Farukon added. "I need to look for Zane. You guys can hunt down Lloyd's lost family and learn secret Serpentine fun-facts, but I need to find Zane. He's my top priority, and if this is an opportunity to save him then by all means I will chase it. You know you can't stop me, or really any of us."

Morro groaned. "What do you think, Lloyd?"

There was a pause. His mind went dead, not a sound to be thought from the both of them.

...

 _No Creature left behind, right?_


	16. So Begins A Journey

**I'm a horrible human being. I haven't updated in forever! Super sorry about that, and I can't promise it's worth the wait. I was going to write about Pixal and Echo heading off to the nearest town in their newly fixed jeep, but I figured this was the timeline people cared more about and I have more inspiration for what goes down with our beloved Lloyd and co.**

 **Comment reviews!**

 **TheAmberShadow - I gave him the last name Kaze because Google Translate said that 'wind' in Japanese is kaze. You know, in the show he's the elemental master of wind. I love Ver, though, it's very creative. I LOVE puns!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - No, I said Morro was older because he's older than he was when he was human all those years ago. Lloyd didn't get a physical age change.**

 **elveron294 - I'm glad everyone seems to like Morro and Lloyd interactions. There's plenty more in this chapter, hopefully they're still gold!**

 **Alrighty y'all...enjoy!**

* * *

They were ready. Bags slung over their shoulder, wings tucked into their backs, goodbyes having been said.

Jay, Kai, Farukon, Lloyd, and Morro all boarded the car. Their destination: some obscure back alley where bags would be put over their heads and they would be taken to the Serpentine headquarters.

Go time.

Her words still echoed in their minds. "Why can't I go with you?! I'm just as capable!"

"You just can't. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Jay? Can't you support me in this? Tell Kai that I should join you guys!"

Needless to say, Jay didn't. He stayed out of this. And she swore vengeance on him until the day would come when he finally stood with her against her overly protective brother and his irksome ways.

If he had done as she asked, she would be joining them as she wished.

 _Are you ready?_

"Of course. Are YOU ready?"

"Who are you talking to?" Jay asked.

Morro shrugged, eyes not leaving the dark road ahead. "Lloyd."

"Can't you just think to him?"

Morro shook his head. "I have to talk for him to hear me, and he talks to me too but his voice can only be heard in my head."

"So you can't hear each other's thoughts?"

"No."

 _Thank God for that._

Jay almost seemed disappointed. "Oh. I was hoping you'd get to see into his mind."

 _Jay..._

"Why is that?" Morro inquired. His hands tightened on the wheel.

Jay shifted around under his seat belt. "Well, there's just a lot of things about Lloyd's past I don't know about."

 _With reason._

"Even if I could see his thoughts and what have you," Morro contradicted. "I still wouldn't tell you anything without his permission. After all, his body his rules." He shuddered at the fact that he just quoted.

 _Did you quote me? I knew I'd grow on you._

Morro bit his lip. "You did not GROW ON ME, it's just a catchy saying. It's like the time you sang that darn song repeatedly and got it stuck in my head!"

 _Oh you mean this song? Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down-_

Morro clasped his forehead. "Stop it!"

Jay snickered. "He rick-rolling you?"

Morro grinded his teeth and banged his head against the wheel.

"Sounds like Lloyd. He may be all grown up and stuff and act mature, but he's still a kid."

 _You don't know the have of it, Jay._

Kai snorted. "Morro deserves it." He huffed, and resumed looking out the window. Masking the sliver moon with its shadow was a falcon. Farukon.

The police officer ignored that comment. Their journey was lit by street lights and the car's own lights.

 _What do you suppose the Serpentine base will be like?_

"I don't know, Lloyd, but if you keep asking questions I might crash before we find out. Your body can't drive, and I'm currently in your body. It's taking every ounce of my spectral being to keep us from dying. I've already died once-"

 _Twice._

"Thanks for reminding me."

Jay groaned. He hated being left out of conversations like this. It was like when someone's on the phone and it sounds interesting, but you have no clue what's going on and don't have the guts to ask.

He had no other sources of entertainment than to simply guess what Lloyd's responses might have been. Kai was in too much of a funk to want to talk to anyone, and Farukon looked so blissful in the sky. He might have flown up to join her, but flying was her 'me time' and Jay felt it wrong to interfere. Given all she'd been through she probably needed all the alone time she could get to think.

And he couldn't text, because they had to leave all personal items behind. And Nya was the only person he really texted, and she was mad at him.

 _I hope we find my dad and Uncle Wu._

Since he had nothing better to do, Morro pressured Lloyd into describing them.

 _Well, Uncle Wu is a wise man. He looks really old but is younger than my dad. He always had some token of advice to give you. He came up with the idea to open a sanctuary._

"Does his reasoning behind such decision involve the mysterious bad thing that happened to you in your childhood?"

Lloyd chuckled. _You make me sound so edgy when you say it like that, but yes. The whole situation that turned me into a Morph and..._

"And?"

 _Yeah, Wu's a pretty wise guy. He knows how to work through every situation, and never loses his temper. When he does, he's got good reason._

"Lloyd."

 _He's got this soft twinkle in his eyes, and I swear he must have omniscient powers or something. He just knows stuff. It's cool but scary._

"LLOYD."

 _And then there's my dad. He's like Uncle, but a lot more informal and friendly._

"LLOYD!"

 _What?_

"The whole situation that turned you into a Morph and...?"

Jay smirked. Seemed like Morro was learning about Lloyd's past. If he tried hard enough maybe he could wrench the information out of Morro's brain, and then he'd be in business.

 _Oh. That. Yeah. I'd...I'd prefer not to talk about that._

"If we're going to share a body till death do us part-" Officer Kaze paused to let Jay and Lloyd get their giggles out over that statement. "Then I think I should know about your past."

Kai gripped Morro's seat and leaned in. "If Lloyd doesn't want to talk about it, he doesn't have to."

 _No, right Morro. I...I will have to tell you about it eventually right? It's inevitable. Just not right now, okay?_

"No time like the present, Lloyd. And we've got time to kill."

 _Hah. You sound like my uncle. But no. I can't. Not right now._

"Why is that?"

 _Because we're here._

They all looked ahead. A crooked alley, dark and ominous, was ahead. Figures slowly swarmed around. They were pulled out of their seats.

"You coming to be recruited?" asked a gruff-voiced, hooded figure.

Morro nodded, and gestured for the others to join in.

A goth-clothed individual ran up to them. This was the first time any of them had seen Farukon with wings, a trait she tended to keep with her even in human form. She looked stunning, with her hair down and deep eyes as soul-penetrating as ever. A smile tugged at her mouth. "Care if I join the party, boys?"

"Another recruit?"

"I'm with them," she grunted, and slammed her feet into the ground at Kai's side. She leaned in and whispered to him, "I can see your wings poking out your shirt, better retract those bad boys or you'll get poached."

Though every Fairy could do it, Kai hated to retract his wings. It made him human, and he took pride in his status as a Fire Fairy. But there was truth to her words, so he grudgingly obeyed.

Their heads were stuffed into potato sacks, and zip ties held their hands behind their backs.

On all accounts, their abduction was willing and complacent. Kai flinched if someone rubbed on him wrong. Times like these reminded him of all the times his abduction wasn't on his own terms. The Serpentines had been after him for so long. Nya didn't remember it since they were so young, but for a time these terrible people kidnapped them. Tortured them. Gave him the ghastly scar that decorated his face.

Not known to anyone else, it was those memories that kept him from permitting Nya to join.

Not known to Kai, Nya was already plotting a way to get in on the action while still following her brother's orders.

It came in the form of a mechanical suit and mechanical gear, a whole ensemble making up an alias: Samurai X.


	17. On the Road Again

**I love how everyone is liking the Samurai X development! Also, we are almost about to hit 80 REVIEWS! Thank y'all so much, I couldn't have gotten this far without your love and support. It means the world to me.**

 **COMMENT REVIEWS!**

 **CraftyNinjaCat13 - She is indeed!**

 **ObsidianChi - Thanks, I was worried the rick-rolling thing was a bit OOC for Lloyd. Glad you like it.**

 **TheAmberShadow - I'm happy you do, and I hope I can continue to make Morro-and-Lloyd interactions enjoyable for chapters to come! You'll see what happens with Zane and Pixal in this next chapter...**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - That's not all he was turned into. :)**

 **Ninalb - I mean forever is a bit of a long time, and I plan to separate them eventually but you get the idea. Thank you!**

 **ninjaknight - I'm so sorry, maybe I'll bring him back. We'll see. Also, your comment actually inspired this chapter with Paleman. I wasn't planning on having him in the story but I had an idea with this and ran with it. So thank you.**

 **Guest - I should explain. They're going undercover in an anti-Creature gang. They can all pass for human, because Fairies can retract their wings and there's no way for them to tell that Lloyd is possessed. But Cole is a big rock monster. Hard to pass as human, right?**

 **elveron294 - Yeah, but I still feel bad about not updating like I used to. Thanks!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

They had been on the road for the past few days. If one could call it a road, that is. It was just a big stretch of sand and the occasional cactus.

Echo had taken quite a liking to cacti. They were a nice break from the otherwise unchanging scenery. He could never get bored seeing what the world looked like beyond the Witches' shack, but if the entire planet was just desert he might have been content staying put. What would the nearest town be like? Would they have answers for him? Would he be accepted and loved like the Witches had?

Pixal loosened her grip on the wheel and pulled some hair out of her face. Something didn't feel right. The jeep was fixed. They had plenty of rations. Echo was adjusting well. There were plenty of spare tires and fuel tanks to keep them going for the better part of a month if need be. But...something was unsettling.

It could have been that Echo used to be a Visionayr, but now was human and couldn't remember a thing. It could have been the fact that she had the strange feeling he was developing a crush for her. It could have been her own confusion over whether or not that love was reciprocated. They barely knew each other. And...and he was the exact OPPOSITE of what she wanted in a man.

Pixal desired someone tall, dark, mysterious. NOT a chef or baker of any kind. Someone who would respect her desire to not talk to her father or see him ever again.

Echo...well he was small, had hair that was so blonde it could have passed for white, pale skin, grey eyes one could lose themselves in, and was very open about his thoughts. His past was a mystery even to him, so at least he was mysterious to some extent. And he always tried to get her to give her father a second chance, maybe he'd changed or maybe she just needed to hear his side of the story.

No, she couldn't love him back. And that complicated relationship of their was not what was so unnerving to her.

Yes, it was her Wisp sense. The small sliver of her that she inherited from her mother. The mother she never met. Sometimes it would warn her of danger ahead, that someone or something with malicious intent was near.

Such danger came in the form of a fedora-wearing man hiding behind a cactus. He was no ordinary man, however. Though his long sleeves and flashy clothes concealed large portions of his body, one look at where his face should have been and it would become clear: he was a Translucio.

She shivered and turned around. Pixal didn't know the man's species, but she knew he was there.

The car rolled to a halt, though the engine still purred.

Echo, who was already preparing their daily ration, looked up. "Pixal? What's wrong?"

Pixal spun her head around. One hand was still one the wheel and her foot hovered over the pedal. "Who's there?!"

No one bad, Echo thought. Certainly no one bad. He had never met a bad person in his (short) life.

Sure enough, a person emerged from behind his hiding place. Echo gasped. He had no face! No body! Just clothes that moved and walked and aimed a weapon like a human!

A strange, buggy voice came up. "Guess Normos aren't as stupid as I thought." The Translucio, who was most likely doing the speaking, aimed his katanas at them.

Pixal put her hands up in defeat, and whispered to Echo for him to do the same. "We do not want any trouble, sir."

He snickered. "All you Normos ever GIVE me is trouble."

"Normos?" Echo asked.

The Translucio slouched with a sigh. "Ugh. Normos are what you two are. You're 'humans'. I'm a Creature, I'm a Translucio."

Echo bobbed his head. "Then why did you call us Normos if we are humans?"

"It's a-it's a slang term, alright?"

Pixal heaved her chest in a deep breath. "We are not Normos or humans, or whatever you may call us. Echo here used to be a Visionayr before being turned human, and I am half-Wisp."

The Translucio reached a gloved hand and stroked what must have been his chin. It was hard to tell, since a Translucio's body is invisible by nature. "A Wisp, you say? If you can prove it, I'll let you off without incident."

Pixal's voice turned icy cold. "And who is to say I will not just back up and run you over?"

"All the other anti-Normos I've got scattered around that would come to my aid if I call."

She recognized this. A group of Creatures that roamed the planet attacking humans that waltzed into their territory...

"Are you the Masters?" she finally asked.

"Yes indeed."

"And that makes you...Paleman?"

"What do you think, genius?" he hissed in response. "Now stop stalling and prove you're what you say you are."

Echo look up at Pixal expectantly. He wasn't sure what he would see, but he knew he would see something.

Pixal closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. She didn't often use her Wisp powers, but she could from time to time.

The fact that they were Ghosts without a weakness to water was a lie. Sure, they had similarities to Ghosts, but Pixal had discovered that something people didn't know about Wisps was that they had something extra in their arsenal.

Her eyes opened once again and they were blue, bright blue and glowing. Her hair slipped from its tie and floated about her head. She rose from a few feet off the ground, skin turning a blue-purple and flickering out of its previously opaque nature.

Everyone looked on at her, jaws unhinged and minds blown.

"Well I'll be," gasped Paleman.

"P-Pixal?" Echo stammered, sounding hollow and vaguely afraid.

It dawned on Paleman that she was a Switch, which were like Morphs but instead of alternating between two essences they could change species due to genetic inheritance. It would only make sense, especially since she said she was half-Wisp.

Paleman cackled. He could easily take the human boy while she was busy strutting her stuff. He lunged for Echo, who cried out to her for help.

A hand reached over his mouth, and Paleman began to drag him off. He kicked and fought but simply wasn't strong enough. "We'll make a nice slave out of you, just like we did with all the other Normos."

His words flowed with venom, and Echo cringed at how they poisoned his innocence. There really were bad people in this world.

But Pixal wouldn't have it. Unknown to Paleman she COULD see what was going on. She could see him and Echo and every other organism within ten feet of her. The grains of sand, the pins on the needle, the amount of rations left, where Paleman was and what he was doing...

She opened her mouth wide, and a small twinkle of light flew out.

It danced in the sky, hunting him down and stalking him. Her very own heat-seeking missile.

Once it found Paleman, it pierced his skin and made his whole body burn.

He fell to the ground, writhing and screaming and cursing. These ugly words he spat out were words Echo had never heard before, but could only imagine that their meanings were even uglier.

Pixal flew in and swooped him up into her arms. He was small enough to fit and she was strong enough, so it all worked out.

Echo said nothing, still trying to understand all that happened. She was no less beautiful, but a lot more intimidating now. She just seriously hurt a man, even if he was a bad man.

They made way for the closest city like this, utter silence becoming a permanent barrier between the two.

After a long while of flying, there was a change of scenery in the distance. Roads appeared down below them, and big rectangular buildings and metal structures loomed ahead.

Pixal's eyes stopped glowing, they floated to the ground, and in a matter of moments her body was back to its human state.

"That was incredible," Echo hummed in a complimentary tone.

She blushed, but said nothing.

Pixal and Echo walked the rest of the distance to the city.

"What is this place?" Echo asked when they finally set foot on the bustling city streets.

"This is Ninjago City."


	18. Enter Stage Left: Dareth

**WOOHOO! 81 COMMENTS! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **elveron294 - She's only about to get cooler from here.**

 **TheAmberShadow - I'm glad you pointed that out to me. I knew Normos sounded familiar, I just couldn't remember from where. Mighty Med, now I get it. And you just seem to be figuring the whole story out!**

 **ObsidianChi - Thanks! :)**

 **CraftyNinjaCat13 - And that's not the last you'll be seeing of Paleman, either.**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Ah, Pixane is such a cute couple :3. Also, I think you might like this chapter. Please read and make sure I didn't mess up your idea.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Cole was human. Long ago, in a past life, he was human. His name was Cole Brookstone, he was a teenager, and he was part of a quartet. He loved his school, the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts. He loved his friends. He loved singing and dancing. He even successfully did the Triple Tiger Sashay at the age of seven.

Looking at his stony-faced reflection in the mirror, Cole knew he wasn't human anymore.

They were on a field trip. He was ready, and excited. He used to be so full of life, so peppy and cheerful. Like Jay, to some extent. He wasn't very intelligent, but a brilliant artist. His father was proud of him.

Then the Serpentines invaded the town, attacking and destroying everything. Their bus crashed amidst the chaos.

The funeral service was quiet, but the mutual anguish the mourners felt was deafening.

His father, Lou Brookstone, couldn't bear to lose his son. His wife was gone and Cole was the only light his life had.

So Lou set out for a mountain. He was in search of a special rock that could reincarnate his child.

He took the boy's un-beating heart and the geode, recited the chant that a mystic old woman taught him, and from the dirt a Golem was born.

This new, reincarnated version of Cole wasn't the same. He wasn't fond of singing and dancing anymore. Now he was more mellow, cool-headed, and intellectual. He instead spent his spare time reading, going for walks, and hiking. This wasn't the son Lou knew. This wasn't what he wanted.

What happened after that was a part of him Cole wanted to bury deep and never see again.

He walked up to Nya. Hopefully she would distract him from his thoughts.

"What are you doing?"

She pulled a welding mask off her face and turned off the tool in her hand. "Same thing I was doing last you asked, Cole."

He sheepishly laughed. "Hah, yeah. Sorry about that."

Do you have something to do?"

Cole shook his head. "Not really, no. I finished my book and everyone's...well, you know..."

She nodded, and slid her mask back on. Nya resumed working on some device or other, in preparation for 'going rogue' as she called it. While Cole supported her decision to go all gung ho on her own to spite her brother, he was still really bored and confused about this whole Samurai X spiel she had gotten them into.

"WAIT!" Nya shouted, just as he was about to leave. "I've...I've got something..."

He thought she meant that she had something for HIM, and was vaguely disappointed to learn that this wasn't the case.

The Water Fairy pressed the com piece deeper into her ear and set her mask on the work table. "I hooked up all the boys with recorders so I could keep close tabs on their progress."

Cole chuckled. As if he expected anything less from someone as headstrong and tenacious as Nya. "So you're spying on them."

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "It sounds bad when you say it like that, but yeah."

"And...?"

"They're getting sorted into their tribes right now."

Cole was about to ask a followup question but she shushed him before he could.

A pause. Even the air was silent. The bugs and birds didn't dare make a noise, and the universe swelled with tense anticipation.

Then, Nya started to tremble. Her whole body shook uncontrollably.

The Golem ran to comfort her, thinking she shook out of sadness. He came closer, and she tossed her head back.

"Hahahahaha!" She couldn't keep the laughter down, and Cole even stifled a snicker at her sudden burst of joy.

She wiped humoured tears from her eyes and said, "You wanna know how they sort people into their Serpentine tribes?"

Cole shrugged. "How?"

"Based on their favourite COLOUR! Their favourite colour! Can you-" She interrupted herself with her own laughter. He was unable to determine what was so hilarious about that, but he smirked to please her.

"So that means Kai's in the Fangpyre," Cole guessed. "And Jay with Hypnobrai, and...what's Morro's favourite colour?"

"Green, apparently. Maybe he just went with Lloyd's favourite, because I thought Morro HATED green. That puts them in Venomari. And no surprise here, but Farukon likes black. So she's in Constrictai."

With that, Nya returned to working on her machine.

"So what is that?"

"Hmm? This? Oh, this is my mech."

"What will you need a mech for?"

It was then that Nya realized how much she forgot to tell Cole. She grimaced at the abrupt knot of remorse in her gut. "Well..."

Two wings went aflutter, and she hovered over to an open laptop. Jay managed to buy it for her with his Fairy Spot money (since he was one of their more...popular...employees, he got paid the most). She tapped the trackpad, and the screen came to life. It looked like a bunch of code in random chunks, along with a few maps, an audio file put on pause, some pictures scattered about, and an internet browser tab opened to social media.

Nya gestured for him to follow after her, and Cole did just that. His rock body towered behind her. His immense size and hulk-like appearance would have given her shivers if she didn't know how harmless he was.

"Don't ask how, but I managed to intercept messages," she said. "Messages about a mysterious operation."

"Oh?"

She pointed to one map, which had a red circle around a small spot off-coast. "It's called 'Melody Island'. The messages I snagged mention 'Hydroscales', although I have no clue what that means."

Cole's hollow eyes widened. He knew exactly what that meant. "Oh! Oh! Oh!"

"Oh?"

"I-I know about that!" he exclaimed. "I read a book about that, once. They're this long-forgotten sixth Serpentine tribe...of the Creatures, not the poachers. They were kind of like sirens but with magic venom that can help people survive underwater. I think it's the venom that hunted them into extinction during the War."

She nodded. "So is this just a code word or are there actual Hydroscales on this island?"

Cole shook his head. "I'd imagine that it's code for something, because all the Hydroscales went extinct as I said...but there's a rumor that some of them survived."

"You seem to be the expert," Nya said. "Do you suppose it's possible that the rumors are true?"

"I don't know. But I completely agree that we should check this out."

Nya pushed him away. "WE? Who said anything about WE? I never invited you." She flew back to the work table and put a few screws in place.

Cole let her have her space. "I get that, and I know you want to do this solo, but you guys can't all just leave me out on all the action."

Suddenly, the door slammed open. Nya and Cole jolted, instinct about to kick in. Fight-or-flight pulsed through their veins, at least until they saw the culprit. Wind rushed in through the ajar doorway, and Nya shivered. Someone walked down the stairs asking, "Did I hear someone mention action?"

"Do you ALWAYS burst into people's houses when they mention 'action' without closing the door behind you, Dareth?"

Everyone's favourite brown-clad egotist smirked, and scrambled back upstairs to close the door. "No, just for you."

The two Creatures exchanged uncertain looks. "What are you here for, Dareth?"

"Just checking up on you two," he answered, and struck a conceited pose. "Is that such a crime, babe?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

Dareth chuckled. So the Water Fairy had figured him out. While he did have a tendency to flirt with other girls, at the end of the day he would never actually cheat on his beloved Gayle. Gayle knew very well how loyal he was to her, and appreciated that about him. She just wished he would recognize that one doesn't need to be a lady's man to be a good man.

He scanned the work table and placed his hand on the mech. It was red and black, and looked like a mechanical samurai. "Ooh, shiny! What's this for?"

She flicked his hand away. "Like it's any of your business," she grumbled.

"Hard to get, huh? I AM a police-"

"Who is SUSPENDED, may I remind you."

"No need to be harsh. I'm just curious."

"Swear to God you won't tell anyone?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

Under her breath she added, "I hope so too." Nya went on to explain everything she had told Cole about Melody Island, the Hydroscales, and what mysterious schemes the Serpentines may have been up to.

Dareth Dojo stroked his chin, an intrigued expression plastered to his face. "Hmm...can I tag along?"

Nya banged her head against the wall. "Why not bring your girlfriend and freaking RONIN while you're at it," she groaned sarcastically. Couldn't she do something on her own for once?

Dareth's face lit up. "REALLY?"

Before she could clarify that she was being sarcastic, he was already up the stairs and out the door. "I won't let you down, Nya!"

Nya was very unamused by this whole turn of events.

Cole gave her a sympathetic pat on the back. He was actually quite pleased by how that turned out. If Ronin was allowed on this mission, surely he'd get to tag along to. "It's okay, Nya. It'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

 **FYI, the 'Hydroscales' concept is the intellectual property of LegoTerraWarrior. So kudos to them for that. There will soon be an OC introduced in a few chapters, one that is also thanks to LegoTerraWarrior. I'm letting you know ahead of time because not everyone likes stories that have OC's in them, and I want those people to know so that they can quit reading before it's too late. Otherwise I think you all will like her.**

 **Have a great day, everyone!**

 **~erio**


	19. EVERYONE Has a Tragic Backstory

**Wow, just one chapter away from 20. This is longer than any other story I've written on this account, or for Ninjago. In 6th grade I wrote this 42-chapter Detective Conan fic, but abandoned it and made a new account. It's trash. Trust me.**

 **Comment Reviews!**

 **TheAmberShadow - I was hoping people would be humoured by that. Yeah, I sort of get that vibe from Lou too. But what he did to Cole was much worse.**

 **CraftyNinjaCat13 - Expect to hear a lot of angsty backstories. Thanks!**

 **Ebony umbreon - Yeah, I was worried that including an OC of someone else's design would open up the floodgates for other people to try and get their OC in too. I might accept one if/when I produce a sequel, but otherwise one is enough.**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - I thought you would like it :) I'm glad I didn't let you down.**

 **Drawkill Vear - *gasp* You really love it that much? That...that means so much to me. You could just give a virtual hug, it's a lot simpler. THANK YOU FOR THAT COMMENT, YOUR ENTHUSIASM REALLY MADE ME HAPPY!**

 **Alright-y folks, you know what time it is. And...enjoy!**

* * *

He was old. His hair was grey, his face was peppered with wrinkles, and yet for some reason he possessed more youth than his younger brother.

Garmadon appeared to only be 60 at most. He was actually in his late thirties. Most people said he didn't gracefully age. If that was the case then his brother Wu, who looked older than 90 but was actually 31, would have to have been the most graceless human the world had ever known.

Graceful aging wasn't the case, and both of them knew why.

Closing his time-worn eyes, Garmadon remembered what caused all this.

His son had been away from them for a year. Kidnapped, some said. Dead, said most. But he and his brother held tight to their faith that young Lloyd would return.

And their convictions would soon be proven correct, although 'young' Lloyd would never return. When Lloyd disappeared, he was seven. He came back seventeen.

Much to the chagrin of the two brothers, Lloyd never told them much about what happened over the course of that year.

There were a few things they had come to learn, like the fact that Lloyd was a Morph (though he so deeply hated that part of himself). He had scars running up and down his body, which explained why he always wore so much clothes.

One day he did tell them. With great pain weighing down on his heart, he relented and released the raging torment of his dreams for all to hear:

Halloween had rolled in, and he wanted to live it up with his friends. And how else did a group of seven-year-old ragamuffins know how to live it up aside from egg-bombs? Unlucky for Lloyd, they egg-bombed the wrong house - it belonged to a mean Witch. She snatched them all up, traded their human essences for Creature ones, and sold them to a circus. He refused to reveal anything about what happened in that circus, but given what clues he had it was safe for his father to assume that Lloyd was tortured extensively.

It all came to an end when another Witch, one that was on a quest to rescue any and all Creatures, found him and healed him.

One problem: she wasn't very experienced with her magic, and making him human again had an adverse effect on him. It turned him into a teenager.

Wu insisted there had to be a way to fix this. He was impatient, and in his impatience he believed he could fix Lloyd himself.

There was an experiment. Wu had found a contraption that would allow him to fix what had gone wrong. It was late at night, Lloyd was sedated, and Garmadon waited on the porch for the operation to be over.

What Wu didn't know was that the contraption was for Witches, and that it was impossible for anyone other than a Witch to do fix and replace essences.

There was a system failure, the contraption exploded, and the same ailment that caused Lloyd's age also impacted them. A surge of warped time and magic struck them down, and changed their faces and lives forever.

Garmadon remembered the ringing in his ears, and opening his eyes to see two frail hands before him, then racing inside to see what had happened, and finding a much-aged version of his brother lying limp on the floor.

Since then the three of them knew never to mess with magic. On the bright side, though, they had essentially unlocked immortality as they would be forever stuck in those physical ages for the rest of their lives. The many Witches they consulted for a cure all told them this, along with the bad news that they would in fact be forever stuck in those physical ages for the rest of their lives.

Then they created the Sanctuary, then they became successful businessmen, and then they wound up here.

'Here' was a dark and grim prison, in a dilapidated prison cell with rusted bars. 'Here' was a small square of space with one bed that Wu turned down for a spot on the grimy floor to meditate. 'Here' was the Fangpyre base. 'Here' was a place that wasn't home, and wasn't with his son.

Just days ago the Venomari base prison overflowed, so a select few lucky ones were exported to other bases. The less lucky ones were killed. Why they didn't just murder all the humans was a thought that both intrigued and terrified Garmadon. What did the Serpentines need or want with HUMANS? They weren't valuable on the black market. They couldn't poach a human for their parts (that was a job for back-alley chop shops run by disgruntled Creatures).

Still, he had to appreciate the change in scenery. It was still a prison, sure, but Garmadon had made it a game to memorize all the guards' faces and conjure fantastical backstories into his mind to explain why they were here. Back at the Venomari base, he had run out of new faces.

This new place was a treasure trove of strangers and backstories, which was good for keeping Garmadon's on-the-fringe brain from slipping into the insanity of pure boredom.

Wu, however, had taken up meditating. Somehow the age jump seemed to also impact Wu's personality in that he became much more wise and patient (or perhaps he had simply learned his lesson from the blindly eager attitude that made him so old in the first place).

In the distance was a new face. Garmadon recognized it, though.

A scar dug into the left eye, which caused its amber glow to be a bit dimmer than the right one. His hair spiked up in all sorts of bedhead ways. His skin was tan with a reddish tinge, a hue that matched well with his red-and-white uniform.

The guard could feel the penetrating gaze of Garmadon, who was already well into concocting a backstory for this young man. Abandoned as a child, left on the streets, taken in and raised by crooks - the sort of cliches that matched such an edgy character.

Realizing just who the prisoner staring at him was, the guard's jaw unhinged. He stood there gawking for a full minute, before running up to the cell bars.

He leaned in and whispered in a low but surprised tone, "Mr. Garmadon? Mr. Wu?"

Wu's eyes snapped open, and with a groan he fumbled onto his feet. "Do we know you, sir?"

The guard smiled. "Yeah. It-it's me, KAI!"

Garmadon blinked. "KAI? What are you doing here?"

"Undercover," he answered. "We're undercover to try and save you guys! Now all that's left is to find Zane."

Wu cocked his head. "Zane is missing?"

The grey-haired man grimaced. "That can only spell trouble."

"If he has not already been saved, brother," Wu protested. Despite all that had happened, Wu never managed to let go of his optimistic spirit. "That is always a possibility."

"He likely got melted down before they had a chance to-"

"Look," Kai interrupted. "I sure would love to chat, but I have to get you out of here. I..." He took a breath, prolonging his exhale so that he could have more time to think about a plan. "I have the keys right here and could bust you two out."

"What then? We risk being spotted and caught. This place is crawling with guards, you know."

"Back in my locker I've got some spare uniforms."

He didn't need to explain further for the two men to understand. "When do we plan to leave this place, Kai?" asked Garmadon.

"I...I don't know. I'm still planning on sticking around until I can find Zane or discover some detrimental piece of info that could help take down the Serpentines for good."

"Zane may be-"

"I know, but I refuse to believe that," Kai growled. He reached for the ring around his hip and plucked a key from it. Insert, twist, pull.

He freed Wu of his chains, then Garmadon.

Then, they ran for the locker room.


	20. Adventures of the Body-Sharing Duo

**I love you all, you know that? You've endured TWENTY WHOLE CHAPTERS with me, and so far it's been an honour to go on this adventure with y'all. Also, this chapter will introduce 'Rover'. He didn't exist until this chapter, and I don't know what to do with him now. Should he stay in this chapter? Be a background character? Take on a more main/supporting role? Let me know what you guys think in the comments.**

 **Comment Reviews!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - THANKS!**

 **TheAmberShadow - Super sorry, perhaps I should have made it a bit more obvious. Morphs have two essences, and can alternate between those forms. Usually they have a human and a Creature essence, but some can have two Creature essences. Like a human and a Ghost, or a Golem and a Vampire. You get the gist. So Lloyd can alternate between his human form and...whatever his Creature form is.**

 **elveron294 - ...yet :) You'll find out soon enough!**

 **Ninalb - It's nice to hear people are liking the backstory. Thanks!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

 _Remember, it's 17...5...23._

Morro finished twisting the lock, smirked at the sound of a click!, and yanked open his locker. "Thanks," he grumbled.

 _Where would you be without me?_

Morro rolled his eyes. "Probably dead."

 _Okay, you can give yourself a LITTLE more credit than - oh right._

"Right," the undercover officer rasped as he pulled his uniform out of his locker. Slipping into a green leather jacket, he groaned. "Why did we have to say green, Lloyd? I hate this colour."

 _That's something I fail to understand. You used to be a Ghost. Everything ABOUT YOU was...oh._

It dawned on Lloyd that Morro hated green because of how much of it he had in his life, because Morro despised his Ghost essence as much as Lloyd hated his...never mind that. That part of him wasn't worth mentioning.

Morro pulled himself into a pair of black pants, then put the green mask over his face. "NOW you get it."

A fellow Venomari peaked his head around. "Who you talking to, newbie?"

 _Uh oh._

Morro's eyes darted around, mind whirring with all the possible excuses. "I, uh, am talking to the voices inside my head. I see and hear things that aren't there. You see I, uh, suffer from insane delusions. I have to take special medication, although I haven't been able to since I arrived here."

The Venomari's eyes lit up. "Hey! I've got the same problem. I keep some meds in my locker, if you want me to get some."

Morro nodded with a cringe. "Yeah, that'd be great."

The Venomari, thinking himself a good person for helping Morro out, bounded back to his own locker with a grin as wide as the ocean they were about to set sail on. "Be right back!"

Lloyd chuckled. _Clever._

"Hiding in plain sight. And in a sense, it's kind of true. You ARE a voice in my head, and I DID take medicine before all this."

 _You did?_

"Antidepressants and pain killer, " Morro added flatly. "Being...what I am...hurts like hell, y'know, both emotionally AND physically."

The aforementioned voice in Morro's head mentally grimaced at the revelation, but distinctly remembered seeing such medication in his kitchen.

The Venomari returned, skidding to a halt at Morro's side. He shook the medicine jar in his hand. "I don't often take them, because my psychiatrist says that the voices aren't necessarily a bad thing that always need to go away. I only use this if the hallucinations get really distracting or scary. I kinda like the voices, but I understand if you don't necessarily want to have them around."

Morro nodded, and hesitantly snatched up the medicine. "Thanks."

Another snicker from Lloyd. _Now you have to eat it. I guess you could say you're getting a 'taste of your own medicine'._

Morro would have mentioned how horrible the pun was, but didn't like engaging in private conversations with people watching. It made him feel exposed.

He twisted open the lid to keep from acting suspicious, and placed a pill under his tongue. He would spit it out when the stranger wasn't looking. Then he returned it to the good Samaritan who gave him the pills in the first place.

"So you...have hallucinations...too?"

The person nodded. "Yep! But don't worry. I'm not like, CRAZY or anything. I just see and hear things that aren't there." He punched Morro in the shoulder. "But I'm sure YOU know all about that, don't you newbie?" With that he tucked the medicine in his coat pocket.

Morro smiled sheepishly. "Heh, yeah."

They started heading for the exit, and Morro's heart sunk. He had just successfully tricked a seemingly nice guy. This person didn't deserve deception, but did he have any other choice?

 _This feels wrong._ Of course Lloyd would feel the same. Despite their attitudes, Morro and Lloyd weren't actually all that different.

"So what's your name, new guy?"

"Huh? Me? Oh, I'm...Lloyd. And you?"

They had chosen to go with Lloyd's name, since 'Morro' wasn't a very common name and if the Serpentine wanted to they could track down that name and discover he was a Ghost cop. That would ruin everything.

The stranger shrugged. He opened the door and Morro walked past with an appreciative head-bob. "I dunno."

"You don't know your name?!"

"No no," the stranger corrected. The two continued to stroll down the long corridor, and headed for the weapons vault. "You misunderstand. I know my name, it just changes a lot. I'm experimenting with my identity. I'm kinda new too, and I've been debating if I should go by something new to commemorate this new change to my life."

"So what brought you to the Serpentine?"

"Same reason that got YOU here, I assume."

Morro huffed.

 _Doubtful. Unless there are more undercover cops than we thought. What if - what if EVERYONE in this facility is actually just an undercover cop? That would be weird._

"Stop speculating, Lloyd," Morro groaned, just quiet enough to not be heard.

 _Right._

The stranger continued to talk. "Right now I'm still debating over what my name should be, so...call me Rover for now."

Morro nodded.

 _Not to be rude or anything, but Rover sounds like a dog name._

"That sounds silly, I'm sure," the stranger blushed. "But I just kinda like it."

"I don't think it's silly."

"Really?"

Morro smiled softly. "Of course. It's your name, your identity. Everyone who doesn't respect that should burn."

The stranger, Rover, beamed. Not realizing of course, that Morro fully meant that literally. If Lloyd could see into Morro's mind he would images of criminals being roasted alive. Screams bloodcurdling, skin charred and black - yes, Morro had a disturbingly dark imagination.

"Can I ask you another question, Lloyd?"

It took a moment for Morro to realize Rover was speaking to him. "Oh. Uh, sure. Shoot."

"What are we doing?"

"What do you mean?"

Rover shifted his weight as they took a left turn. "Well, I know we're going on a boat. I know we're headed to some off-the-coast island. But WHAT are we doing there?"

Morro actually hadn't been paying attention to the mission debrief either, and wished that Lloyd could-

 _We're assisting in the collection efforts on Melody Island. They discovered a group of surviving Hydroscales there and want to poach them. Mainly for their scales, venom, the whole enchilada._

"Something about 'Hydroscales', I think," Morro paraphrased.

Rover gave a sharp nod. "Gotcha." The two of them walked up to the door to the weapons vault, which was already opened and filled with other Venomaris roaming within.

Once Rover had parted from him to collect his weapon, Morro spoke in a hush voice to Lloyd, "You ready for this?"

 _I just wish we could stay and look for my family and Zane._

"We have to do what they say to keep from being suspicious," Morro added. He lifted a dagger from its place hung up on the wall and inspected the blade for nicks.

 _Yeah. I know. I just...yeah._

"I know you miss them," Morro said. "Believe me. I know a thing or two about what you're feeling. We'll find them. I promise."

 _I guess. I miss them a lot._

"Don't let that cloud your judgement, Lloyd."

 _I won't. Don't worry. I'm okay...H-Hey, I wonder what we'll find on this Melody Island._


	21. What Do We Have?

**Guys. We are TWO COMMENTS away from 100! I would never have gotten this far without your care and support. It will be my honour to continue to carry you on with this story as the author. There's a valuable lesson in all this: all my other stories were written with the hopes of them becoming popular. Needless to say, they all fell flat. But then I wrote this beautiful gem of a story with no intention of fame or popularity. I just wrote for the sake of writing. And look where it got me. Thanks, again. Thanks a million. All of you.**

 **Comment Reviews!**

 **Ebony umbreon - Just keep reading and you'll find your answer.**

 **TheAmberShadow - I'm not taking requests as for what kind of Morph Lloyd is since I already have that decided, but I don't think you'll be disappointed with my choice. I hope not, at least.**

 **Anonymous7 - Thanks! You'll have to give the credit to LegoTerraWarrior for the Hydroscales idea, though.**

 **elveron294 - Why thank you!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Will keep that in mind when I include her. Lloyd and Morro won't know what hit them :)**

 **Drawkill Vear - There's no problem. Real hugs are better than virtual ones anyways. Thanks!**

 **Jens - A lot of people seem to enjoy those interactions. Glad I did something right. When I saw your comments, my day got a whole lot better. Yesterday was bit rough for me, so to see all this positive feedback really made me smile. I just wanna say thanks for your kind words and enthusiasm, and welcome aboard on this crazy adventure!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Their apartment was small. Ivory, crusty paint clung to dilapidated walls, and the light in the kitchen was the only one still flickering. Still, it was what they could afford and they fully intended to make the best of it.

Getting a job was difficult for Pixal, more than she had imagined. Especially given her tattoos. She had to modify her appearance a bit to keep it from matching that of the countless missing person posters everywhere. She wore lots of makeup, both to change her face and to hide the tattoos that somehow still poked through. Her hair was done in a different way than her classic ponytail, now let down and cut in a bob.

She had considered dying it, but Echo insisted it was too pretty to change. Screw pretty, she had to keep her identity a secret. Couldn't risk dear old Dad finding her, now could she? She would have to LET him find her if their financial situation didn't improve soon.

Echo had found a job, though, and currently he was the only thing keeping their careening ship of a life afloat. He was sushi chef, and a good one at that, but the pay could've been better. His employer promised that if he kept the job for five months the wage would be raised higher than minimum.

Pixal kicked a rock. Being grouchy and grumpy was, in general, uncharacteristic of her. But a lot of things had gotten on her nerves in recent times, and if she was honest it was surprising she hadn't blown a fuse already.

For example: if Pixal Borg had a dollar for every time Echo suggested they go to her wealthy father for financial aid, she'd...

Huh. She'd have about five dollars. It really felt like he was always bringing it up, but perhaps it was just her sensitivity to the subject. Come to think of it, ever since their spat (if one could call even it that) a few days ago he had dropped the subject entirely. There was no aggression, no raised voices...yet something about the tension between them during that conversation set him off. She liked it that way.

She fumbled around in her pocket for her key, then shoved it halfheartedly into the lock. "I am home," she chimed.

Echo peeked from out of the kitchen, eyes still slightly glued to the tiny box TV resting on the counter. "Hello," he greeted.

"What is on the news today?" Pixal asked. For some reason Echo had some boring fascination with the news. For her, 5 o' clock news on Channel 10 grew boring within the first three days.

He beckoned her to come closer, then wiped his hands on his pants. He could have used the towel sitting there beside him, but he did that to remind her of her promise to buy him an apron. It didn't work.

She stood beside him, standing with impeccable posture yet still slouched.

A drab-faced news anchor was droning on about some subject or other. _"-is believed to be caused by the recent increase in Serpentine activity. The police are theorizing that the subsequent increase in Masters activity is an act of retaliation, although nothing is definitive at this moment. Still, all humans within Ninjago City are asked to stay indoors after 10 PM unless necessary. All citizens are also requested to remain calm. It is not likely that you are in any immediate danger, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Now. What's the weather lookin' like, Brent?"_

Pixal dabbed the sides of her lips to smear off any remaining lipstick. "That is awful," she gasped.

Echo bobbed his head, and resumed setting the table. Two sets of plate, cup, and fork placed across from each other on the splintered wood surface. A wilted flower vase decorated the center. He never was very good at keeping plants alive.

The television murmured in the background as the two situated themselves at opposite sides of the table.

"How was work today?"

Echo picked at his food with the flimsy fork in hand. "It was good. How was your day?"

Pixal shrugged and swallowed. "It was decent. I still fail to find a job, though."

The boy's eyes crinkled knowingly. He may not have been able to see time, but he still managed to exude wisdom. "Every day is a good day as long as you're still breathing."

She smirked. "Of course." She still struggled to believe his claim, though. They were poor. He was the only thing keeping them off the streets, and even then just barely.

Echo lived off of TV dinners and his undying hope for the future. How did he survive like that? She wouldn't last much longer in these conditions, but still she tried. She could always contact her father but...

...

No. No way. Never.

"I bought some cookie dough from the store," he said. "They were on sale and thought the sugar would cheer you up."

Pixal gave a vacant smile. "Yes. Thank you, Echo."

He knew more than he was letting on. He knew that she was sad, and that she wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to be the bread-winner, she wanted to be independent. That was one of the reasons she defected from the Serpentines, he assumed. Yet here she was, and she wasn't even free from her own stress and worries.

Echo thought that something good-tasting would liberate Pixal of her grief, at least for a bit.

Dinner was consumed in silence, and the dishes were washed in a similar fashion.

After that he decided to make the cookies. The dough was pre-made, so all they had to do was put them into the clumps, set them on the sheets, and stick them on the oven.

"Big spoon or small spoon?"

"Hmm?"

Echo held up two spoons. "Which do you suppose we should use for the sizing?"

"Whichever you like."

He frowned a bit, but quickly replaced it with a smile. "Big will do."

"But then we will have less cookies," she debated.

He nodded and explained, "Yes, but bigger cookies taste better. Small ones get crispy and crunchy. The big ones are gooey and significantly tastier."

Pixal smirked. "How do you know that?"

Echo was frozen with existentialism. How DID he know that? How did he know anything - how to cook, how to talk, how to read and do math at the advanced level he could? And what of that knot in his gut, that feeling that he wouldn't have a happily ever after?

She placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "It is alright, Echo. I apologize for asking. I am sure there are a lot of holes in your mind."

This was all wrong. This cookie-making was meant for HIM to comfort HER, not the other way around. But Echo would accept her gesture, and then go back to his objective.

He handed her a spoon. "Let's get working, shall we?"

Digging into the dough, they scooped out small lumps and spaced them out on a cutting board. They didn't have a cookie sheet, so this was the best they could do. They didn't have a lot of things.

Robotic, monotonous movements. What if her father walked in? What if they were homeless? What if they had to come back to him? She would never trust him, she would never forgive him. She would not, could not. But Echo had to live, he deserved better than this. He deserved a family, friends, and a decent-

Splsh!

Pixal reached up to her face. A small splotch of dough clung to her cheek. Echo looked up at her with a childish grin. He reloaded his spoon-turned-catapult.

"Do you really want to go there?"

She snatched her own weapon - a fistful of dough and a spoon - and caught him in her arms as he tried to duck for the table.

"You will not leave!"

He playfully chucked more at her face, distracting her, and dove under a chair.

She wiped it off her face and stomped after him, then dragged him out.

Pixal dropped the fistful onto his neck with a gross squelch! He pulled it off and turned it into ammo for his cause.

Running, chasing, laughing, shouting. For a moment, all of Pixal's worried thoughts fizzled into dust.

Echo was content as he sat there on the kitchen floor, wiping cookie dough from various parts of his body and warily eyeing Pixal to see if she would fall back on their truce.

"I apologize," Pixal deadpanned in her sweet, soft voice.

"I'm the one that started it," he said with a shrug. The two kept sitting there.

She shook her head. "That is not what I meant. I mean...I am sorry you had to cheer me up."

"We all have our days, Pixal."

"Of course." A pensive moment of silence, and everything stood still. "But I must ask, Echo. Why are you so optimistic? We have nothing."  
Now it was his turn to shake his head.  
"What DO we have?"  
"A home, food, water, money, a bed, and each other. The list goes on forever. What DON'T we have?"

"A stable financial situation, for starters."  
"We can get by," he insisted. "Just as we have thus far. Come now. Shall we clean up?"

They got what cookies they could salvage out, snagged a few, then got ready to 'hit the sack' (this was a term that Echo couldn't understand. Why would they be hitting a sack?). They took showers, brushed their teeth, and slipped into their pajamas.

They both prepared for bed by flipping a coin - the winner would get to sleep in the bed.

Pixal chose heads and Echo tails. Echo lost, as usual.

He got the blankets ready and curled up on the couch with a book. He kept the kitchen light on so he could see the small print, but still it wasn't quite enough. Echo only forced his eyes to strain for two chapters, before deciding to call it a night.

Echo believed Pixal was sleeping, that she was taking advantage of the big (albeit lumpy) mattress. Needless to say, she wasn't.

The lights were out, pillows were stuffed under the cover in the shape of a person, and a hooded figure roamed the room.

A deep sigh, as she summoned her Wisp form. Her skin turned bright blue, and she almost worried the pulsing light of her body would alert Echo. Her eyes hollowed out and lit up, now big and abysmal.

Suddenly everything became known to her. The exact location of Echo, his breath, his heartbeat, the people outside, the man in the shower next door, every plant, every breeze - everything within her immediate vicinity filled her mind.

The hooded figure took another sigh, and crept out the window.


	22. Jailbirds

**Oh man. This story is freaking insane. I mean. 103 comments. 22 chapters. Dear God in heaven. I...I know I've thanked y'all a lot but I really can't thank you enough.**

 **Comment Reviews!**

 **Ebony umbreon - Ah yes. In the show Echo even has the same colours as a cinnamon roll. Yeah, and he won't catch a break. Like, EVER.**

 **CraftyNinjaCat13 - Yep, and you'll be seeing a lot of her Wisp form in the future. Hopefully you won't get sick of it...yeah. Thanks!**

 **TheAmberShadow - I was wondering when someone was going to ask that. See in Latin, 'veni vidi vici' means 'I came I saw I conquered'. Originally the story was going to be called 'Morituri Nolumus Mori', which means 'we who are about to die but don't want to'. I then decided to save that title for a sequel to this story that is well into the planning stage, one that has a LOT of angst and character death. I wanted there to be a Latin title theme, and now here's the title. Sorry, was that too long?**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Are you referring to the hooded figure? Either way her mom is dead.**

 **Jens - I don't have a regular updating schedule, I just write when I find the time and passion for another chapter. You never have too much to say. Seeing long comments make me SUPER happy! Don't worry friend, he'll get his memory of being Zane back. I just don't know if he'll like what he remembers...haha...**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

"How did you get here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Jay pouted. Farukon just HAD to be difficult. "I asked first so spill it, bird-brain."

Farukon stiffened at the nickname. "I can be a lot more than a bird," she cooed in a bone-chilling tone. She would have leaned into him in a menacing way, but the chains held her back and restricted her movements.

"Right now all you are is a goth chick strapped to the side of a cage," Jay said with a spiteful growl. For some reason the two of them never did get along well. That was a fairly inconvenient fact, all things considered.

He did have a good point. With a sigh of defeat she responded, "I've been here for a while. How I got here, well - I...figured something out. Something dangerous, I think, while I was at the Constrictai base."

There was clear evidence of her being in the Constrictai base, given her drab uniform. It was a black Letterman jacket, a brown plaid flannel poking out from underneath, black cargo pants, and bulky black gloves.

Jay tried to lean in to express his intrigue, but similar chains held him back against the wall perpendicular to Farukon's. "And? What did you find?"

She shook her head and shut her eyes. There was that room. She snuck in. She was eavesdropping on a conversation between the Skalidor and Skales. They were communicating via face-chat. Something about a secret alliance between the two tribes. They found her. They hit her hard, then blackness. "My mind's blank. I think they wiped my memory."

His eyes widened, straining hard against the dismal lighting. "They-they can DO that?!"

Farukon nodded, and grimaced. "I worked there for a few days. They had this prototypical device that erase new memories. They...I think they made me forget what I learned while eavesdropping on a conversation between to Serpentine leaders. Next thing I knew, I woke up here." She shook what she could of her arms in an attempt to gesture to their new abode.

Cages lined the walls, hung from the ceiling, and piled in the corners. The chains and cage bars were crusted with frost. Ice froze the door shut, along with about a dozen daunting locks.

A closer look heralded the realization that Creatures were stuck in the cages, often in pairs. The one Farukon and Jay were in hung from a scary metal tether that reached up to the vaulted stone ceiling. They had the best view of the small barred window displaying a blizzard-infested snowscape beyond.

Farukon followed Jay's eyes as they analyzed the finer details of this bizarre prison, until they met hers. "What is this place?"

"A prison," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Okay, I got THAT, genius," Jay said. He groaned. "But like WHAT is this place? I've never seen any prisons like this, and I WORK here."

"How do you know?"

"This is very Hypnobrai-esque architecture," he said, then looked down at his own uniform: navy snow pants, musty boots, and if he wasn't topless he would have also had a bulletproof vest and a dark blue parka. "I went undercover with the Hypnobrai, in case you forgot THAT too."

Farukon narrowed her eyes. "I may have forgotten ONE thing - "

"A potentially IMPORTANT and USEFUL thing, might I add."

"You may NOT add," Farukon growled. She was about to continue what she was saying, but it was pointless. Why was she even keeping conversation with this loser?

Jay and Farukon both turned their heads away from each other. He didn't need her. He could figure out what was going on without her. He didn't need that jerk Farukon to understand why that Vampire had...Ghost...properties...or why that Golem looked like a...Fairy? What?

Finally he broke the silence. "Okay okay okay! I give! What the heck is going on here?!"

Farukon smirked. She knew he wouldn't last. "I don't know everything about this place myself," she explained. "But I'll tell you what I know."

"Oh yeah," he scoffed. "Like YOUR memory is that credible a source."

"Will you shut up for like two seconds?! Credible or not, my memory is your ONLY source! And if you must know, we're being Hybridized."

A pause. They were being...what? Hybridized? What was that? "I'm listening," he relented with a pout.

Farukon slumped her shoulders and continued. "Before you decided to grace me with your presence - mind you I am STILL waiting for an explanation as to why - I had another person in here with me. Her name was Sakura."

He kept his lips shut and kept listening, now a little bit more attentive than before.

"She had been here a while," Farukon said. "She looked part-snake, part-Fairy. They called her a Snake Fairy. She used to be something called a Hydroscale, but then they raided her home and kidnapped her. They experimented on her and fused her Serpentine essence with a Fairy one."

"H-how is that possible?!" Jay sputtered. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. One more glance around the room. A Ghost-Dragon. A Wisp-Serpentine. A Fairy-Vampire. A Visionayr-Golem. More. "I-I thought only WITCHES could mess with essences!"

Farukon was expecting he'd say that. "Witches are the only ones capable of removing, adding, and exchanging essences. Sure. Humans can't do that. What humans CAN do, however, is invent fancy equipment that can Frankenstein-stitch two essences together to create a Hybrid."

There was a short pause, as the circumstances sunk in. Here they were, in a cage, suspended in a cold prison, awaiting the moment they would succumb to a similar fate as the Hybrids that surrounded them.

Though he was wary of the answer, Jay had to ask. "What happened to Sakura?"

Farukon shrugged. "She was taken to get 'reaped' as they call it around here, and hasn't come back. And - before you ask, reaping is when they cart you off to poach you of your shiny new Hybrid parts."

The malice dripping from her voice reminded Jay of Ronin. But unlike Ronin, her attitude was justified - between Zane going missing, the whole Boo Busters fiasco, and being trapped in a place like this with one of her least favourite people, any frustration she experienced was reasonable.

Jay swallowed hard. "Do you think she's...you know..."

"Nah," Farukon said with a shrug. "Maybe I'm just in denial, but I've got a gut feeling she's okay - alive, at least. If there's one thing I've learned from all my time with Zane, it's that you should always trust your gut." She cocked her head towards her companion with a cynical grin. "Now. Mind telling me why YOU'RE here?"

He swallowed hard at the thought, mind tracing back to how he so stupidly revealed his secret. They were attacking a sanctuary and Jay wouldn't hurt anyone. He wouldn't lift his hand to kidnap, harm, or so much as do property damage. He was sent to the cellars to get the rebellion whipped out of him, and that was when they discovered his scars.

Fairies have the ability to retract their wings, making them unseen and unknown. The only other way to tell that someone is a Fairy is to check their back for long, deep scars (this crevice was where their wings would hide). It went without saying that they found these scars. A good round of torture that his black eye was evidence of, and they managed to learn Jay's true nature. Then they stuck him in here.

He told this story to Farukon, who listened closely. How could Jay have been such an idiot? At least SHE didn't get in trouble because of something so blatantly stupid (although she might not have been caught if she had only shifted into a less conspicuous form).

After his story he let out a long breath, which was only cut short by a thought: "Hey, Farukon?" It made him uncomfortable to ask this question. "How come YOU haven't been 'Hybridized' or whatever you call it?"

A hateful glint sparkled in her eyes. "Who says I haven't?"


	23. The Landlubber's Grief

**Now I know a lot of people weren't too fond of the Hybrid twist, so I appreciate your honesty. I had no clue they were so mainstream. I've adjusted to plot so that they still exist, but now Hybrids don't play as huge a role. Again, thanks for being so honest with me everyone. When people tell me what's wrong with my story, it makes me kind of happy because it shows me where I can improve as a writer. A growth mindset is a very useful thing for a writer to have.**

 **Comment Reviews!**

 **RJ - Yep, I love torturing my characters. This is only the beginning.**

 **elveron294 - I was hoping the fluff was a good thing to add. Thanks!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - I cannot thank you enough for letting me have at this wonderful character :)**

 **TheAmberShadow - Yes, a sequel. But I have to get through this one first. Just wait and see...thanks for commenting!**

 **Ebony umbreon - Aw, you figured me out. What gave it away that someone's gonna have a bad time? Haha, I'm an evil writer.**

 **Ninalb - To hear that come from one of my personal favourite fanfic authors on this site, that means a heck of a lot to me. You have no idea. Thank you.**

 **Jens - I totally agree with you. Jay got caught for a good cause, but Farukon doesn't see it like that. And you'll find out the answer to your question in this chapter, actually.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Life had a way of overwhelming her. As it was, Nya sat on a boat with some unfavourable company, simply itching to use the new battle armour and Samurai X persona she had slaved over for weeks.

But fate had other plans - plans that really seemed to get on her nerves. She was just planning on flying her fancy new mech to Melody Island, but it didn't hold enough room for all the people that wanted to tag along. So they bought a boat. Sure, it was suped up with some fancy tech gadgets as per her request. Sure, she could have all the alone time she wanted as long as the others respected her personal space. But that wasn't something Dareth Dojo was necessarily known for no matter how hard Ronin, Cole, and Gayle tried to keep him out of her hair.

She had expressed a small level of reservation with bringing Cole along, but now that the stiff smell of seawater had cleared her head she realized how valuable an asset he was.

And as for Gayle Gossip, Dareth's reporter girlfriend? She was smart, quick on her feet, and sassy. Maybe having someone like her, what with her profession and personality, on board would actually help her cause.

What about Ronin? He could be useful, if he was paid handsomely for his efforts. Although the witty quips and snarky attitude came free, much to Nya's dismay. He also volunteered to tag along for free, which confused everyone because he had a knack for putting a price on literally everything. She had no doubt in her mind that he would scrap this sea vessel for some cold cash as soon as they hit the main land, and Nya didn't have much of a problem with that.

And then there was Dareth. Oh, Dareth. Down there, really deep down there, he had good intentions. He wanted to be a hero, he wanted to make his girlfriend proud, he wanted to be somebody. He just had a TERRIBLE execution of that intention.

Nya rapped her knuckles against her skull. Life just had to throw yet ANOTHER curveball at her.

The wall in front of her had a map taped to it. Small coloured pins identified where each of her friends were at the moment. She jotted down her notes on their progress in a small notebook.

Kai, Garmadon, and Wu were successfully undercover and hidden. No one suspected their treachery, not yet.

Morro and Lloyd seemed to be getting along, having become buddy-buddy with a Venomari called Rover on their way to Melody Island. She could only hope she wouldn't run into them. No one was supposed to know what she was doing (aside from those that already knew, of course).

For Farukon and Jay, there was radio silence. Farukon had quickly discovered the spyware Nya pinned to her shirt and, not knowing who put it there, discarded it.

And as for Jay...

She bit her lip, eyes scanning over a page of scribbles. The day she lost contact with Jay's situation was a particularly difficult one for her. The farther she read into her notes on his ordeal, the more the sentences became choppy and fragmented. Words became more and more illegible, although she didn't need to be able to read what she wrote to have everything she heard memorized by heart.

They put him into a cell and started beating him up. She could hear every scream, every groan, every crack of bone and cry that followed.

Then another person came in and ordered him to take off his shirt. He did so. Jay exposed his back for all to see.

A small gasp escaped their mouths when they discovered his wing-scars. Naturally, they decided to proceed with whipping him. For half an hour. With Nya listening attentively.

There was a point in which her notes transformed from recording the events to recording her own broken thoughts. She apparently had written 'STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!' over and over again, but her subconscious repressed any memory of her actually having done that.

This was where the illegibility got really bad. Nya could only guess that was because Jay's torment had seriously intensified at that time.

She shuddered at the nightmarishly bloodcurdling screeches. From the squishing, cracking sounds and the words exchanged between his captors...it was safe to assume that they had violently ripped out his wings.

In some parts of the world, Fairy wings were a delicacy. Others believed they would gain immortality if they ate them. The especially superstitious thought that hanging a pair of petrified wings over their front door would protect them from bad luck. All of those misconceptions disgusted her.

With a sigh, Nya set down the notepad and flew up to the deck. Ronin sat with his feet kicked up and his hat over his face. Gayle was speaking into a recorder, telling of her progress and of what Nya had told her about the statuses of everyone undercover.

Dareth was probably somewhere or other, though no one really knew where exactly he was.

Gayle spotted her emerging, and clicked off the recorder with a, "Signing off for now, something's just come up." She walked over to Nya.

"Hi Gayle," Nya mumbled.

"You okay?" Gayle hummed in response. She adjusted her rose-tinted glasses.

Gayle wore primarily shades of pink, with a pearl necklace adorning her firm neck. It was their five-year anniversary present, replacing the pitiful candy necklace Dareth had tried to give her the year before.

Nya just shrugged, and leaned into the railing that kept them from falling into the ocean.

"Is it Jay?"

She nodded.

Gayle had reviewed the notes as well, and with help from Nya's fearful babbling she managed to get a good picture of the torture Jay endured.

"Have you regained contact?"

"No," Nya said. "I think they found the bug and destroyed it."

"Well that's certainly troublesome. Do you suppose he's alright?"

"I don't have a clue, and that's what scares me. I should be out there saving him. I know where he was last, I can work from there."

A sympathetic but cold hand was placed on Nya's shoulder. Gayle gave her a sad smile. "We've already gone so far on our mission here. We're so close to Melody Island, Nya. Then we can take down those awful people for what they've done to him - for what they've done to all of us."

Nya didn't respond.

"And what if he's not there anymore? What if we fall into a trap? We're needed here," Gayle assured. "We need to figure out what these crooks are planning so we can stop them."

Silence fell on the two of them. Nya really hated silence, all things considered.

Though she dreaded it, Nya had to go back down and keep listening in on how everyone else was doing.

Cole came in to check on her and see how all his friends were doing once or twice, but for the most part he stuck to the kitchen. It went without saying how shaken up he was over Jay's predicament. Cole had a tendency to stress-bake when he got nervous, which was always followed by an unhealthy hour or so of stress-eating all the food he had just produced. It was a bad cycle, especially since Cole's food was disgusting and potentially toxic (it was no secret how terrible of a cook he was). But he was a Golem and Golems didn't have taste buds since their diet consisted of rocks anyway, so at least Cole didn't mind.

Everyone had retreated to their quarters. They didn't need anyone to steer the ship since Nya had installed an auto-pilot system, and a GPS with their desired coordinates as its destination.

Ronin, however, hadn't gone back to his quarters. He still slept on the deck.

He missed the ocean breeze with the sun above him and the worries of life far behind. He missed the days when he would go sailing with Dareth and Morro, back before the War ruined everything. Back before HE ruined everything.

A strange shift in the air tugged Ronin awake. Rain pattered on his face, as storm clouds swirled overhead. Rumbles danced into a tempest tune, the humble beginnings of a monsoon slapping the sides of the ship. Darkness loomed overhead, and Ronin was the only one who knew it. He had to go below deck to warn the others.

The rocking of their ship from side to side hindered his movements, with harsh rain stabbing his eyes and forcing him into a blurry squint. The sky roared, and the waves grew larger with the threat of capsizing them.

This was going to be a wet one.


	24. Bonding for the Body-Sharing Duo

**Hey y'all. How you doing? Good? Good. Guess what happened? I recently finished this one non-fanfic novel that I have been working on for over a year! Yay! It's 284 pages in Google Docs, and 155,193 words. Yeah, I'm going to need to shave it down. That'll come with editing. In the meantime...**

 **Comment Reviews!**

 **elveron294 - I hadn't imagined people would find that last chapter so sad. Huh. Thanks!**

 **Jens - Yeah, I can be a bit scary with my writing. This story is a LOT more upbeat than most stuff I write, but I have a lot to go before I'm capable of writing happy stories. Don't worry, Jay will be okay (sort of. Really depends on your definition of 'okay'). Aw, you remembered! Thanks for the review, you wonderful person!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Yeah sure, let's go with 'increature'. Got a nice ring to it.**

 **Ebony umbreon - It missed him so much it decided to welcome him back with a storm. Haha, they're very grateful for that fourth wall. Otherwise I think you and everyone else would have killed them. Especially given what's going to happen...**

 **TheAmberShadow - What the actual heck. How do you keep predicting what's going happen next? I think Cole would win, because he can't taste and all that fun stuff. But Tox's food might dissolve his body...Thanks for the comment!**

 **Ninalb - Aw, I'm sorry. Maybe I'll include disclaimers before graphic scenes so this doesn't happen again.**

 **toothlessturtle21 - So I'm not the only sadistic writer/reader here. Nice. Yeah, but that doesn't mean a bunch of other horrible things won't happen to him. *Cue maniacal laugh* Thanks!**

 **You all know the drill. And...enjoy!**

* * *

"Welcome to Melody Island," said the speaker. She was tall and simple, dressed in Venomari garb. "Where you will be stationed for the next few months."

Morro leaned over the edge of the boat.

 _Whoa, it's so beautiful._

Lloyd was right. Sparkling waves slapped against a beach of rosemary sand. It was adorned with lush green trees and the occasional jagged rock. It stuck out against a backdrop of varying shades of blue, and as it came into focus the island became speckled with the colours of the rainbow in the form of flowers.

The only thing to ruin this idealistic view of paradise were the massive ships. Metal, cold, brimming with Serpentines, armed to the teeth with poaching devices and weapons. They broke through the sand and began setting up camp in various places. Already they had begun to infiltrate the island.

Morro frowned.

"Our mission here is simple," the speaker continued. "Capture the Hydroscales and poach them, as we always do. There are pamphlets being passed around right now that should tell you everything you need to know about their physiology, weaknesses, etc."

As if on cue Rover arrived at Morro's side with two brochures. The front had a picture of Venomari Leader Acidicus with two thumbs up and a wink. In comic book font it read across the top, 'Only You - Can Capture the Hydroscales!'

Morro was surprised Lloyd didn't make any commentary about that title.

Opening the pamphlet revealed a map of the island, a run-through of the flora and fauna, and a brief description of the camp and camp rules. The rest was dedicated to anatomy diagrams, pictures, and paragraphs discussing Hydroscales.

The one in the picture was blue, with paisley white and green patterns decorating its scales. Its limbs and body parts were fitted with elegant fins. Gills ripped through the sides of its neck.

According to the pamphlet, their venom was their most valuable trait. Getting it in one's eyes could give one the ability to see underwater for a limited amount of time.

 _So majestic..._

"Majestically fatal," Morro deadpanned. He placed his finger on a certain paragraph. He read it aloud. "Hydroscales are incredibly dangerous in many ways. Their song is their most deadly trait. Their music has the ability to entrance all who hear - drowsiness, memory alteration, trances, mind warping. That is why it is imperative you never approach a Hydroscale while they are awake. Once you have caught one, make sure to remove their vocal cords. The more powerful ones can even create sonic booms/waves if they put in enough effort."

 _Yikes._

"Creating these sonic booms/waves drain their energy," Morro continued. "So do not miss the opportunity to strike after they have used this attack."

The speaker gathered everyone's attention again. "Up here at the front are your helmets. As long as you're wearing the helmet and it's working, you are immune to their song. Don't take these off unless utterly necessary, and if you have permission from your superior. Taped to the inside of your helmet is a paper that will tell you who your superior will be and what your job is here. Some of you will be on the field, some of you will stick to base. Now I'm going to call your name, and you need to come up and get your helmet."

She began going down a list of names.

"Isn't this so exciting, Lloyd?!" Rover exclaimed. The brochure was squished in his hand as he flapped about with glee. "I'm so excited!"

Morro raised his eyebrows with a vaguely pretentious, cynical smirk. "Yeah, uh, exciting."

The island was just a few hundred feet away. Morro and Lloyd were about to ruin the lives of an innocent species, miles away from home. This wasn't what either of them signed up for.

 _What do you suppose we'll find on that island?_

Morro didn't answer, but in his mind he imagined lamenting to Lloyd all he feared they would find.

"Lloyd Grant," said the speaker.

 _Is that us?_

"Is that you?" Rover asked.

 _Isn't my name Lloyd GARMADON? Why are we Lloyd GRANT?_

Morro walked away from Rover and towards the bow before answering. "Yeah, but I figured it would be extra covert if we went with a different last name. Need I remind you that they currently have a 'Garmadon' in prison."

 _Right, right._

The speaker handed him a helmet. It was green with a gold-tinted visor over where the face was supposed to go. Adhered to the cushioned inside was a starchy slip of off-white paper:

Name - Lloyd Grant

Station - TE37

Superior - Captain Lasha

Role - Scout Unit, Field

 _Scout Unit? What does that mean?_

"I think it means we're scouting," Morro answered. "You know, going ahead to make sure everything is safe."

 _So we're going to be out there in the field? Does that mean we're going to be...y'know...poaching?_

"That's the idea, although we're going to be more on the 'kidnapping and fighting' side of things."

A few people in their immediate area gave Morro some strange looks, so he journeyed to an obscure corner and spoke in a hush voice.

 _I didn't sign up for this._

"I beg to differ. While you didn't SIGN up, you certainly did-"

 _You know what I mean, Morro._

Morro rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

The boat rocked and shook, teetering Morro off his balance. "Whoa! What was that?!"

 _Hey, check it out Morro. I think we reached the island!_

He scoffed. "Huh. You're right for once."  
 _What do you mean, 'for once'? You gotta give me more credit than THAT, Morro._

Morro didn't respond, and just prepared to file off the boat. He didn't really listen to the instructions, just looked at the watery horizon and thought. Lloyd may not have been able to read his mind, but he knew just what his body-mate was thinking.

 _I'm proud of you, Morro._

"Huh?"  
 _You're handling all this very well, all things considered. Good job._

Nothing was spoken between them, and they fell into silence. Morro knew what Lloyd meant. Morro HAD been handling all this pretty well, handn't he? At the start of all this, it was a nightly struggle for Lloyd to get Morro to so much as pick up a glass of water. Things did still get heated when Lloyd would tell Morro to take a shower. So for Morro to be surrounded by water and not cowering or expressing any level of emotional distress - this was a huge step in the right direction. They both knew he would never fully recover from his aquaphobia, and with good reason, but any improvement - no matter how small - was progress. Morro was proud of himself too. He was doing pretty good, and it could only mean it would get better from here. Right?  
With a smile, the softest and most genuine one Lloyd had ever known him to give, Morro broke the silence. "Thanks."


	25. She Could Totally Beat You in a Fight

**Alrighty, this chapter introduces LegoTerraWarrior's OC Sakura. So this is your last chance to back out if you dislike stories with OC's. Going once...going twice...are they gone? Okay. If you're still here, thanks!**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **Ebony umbreon - Something like that, yeah.**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Thanks! I also hope I can keep Sakura in character for this chapter and all chapters to come. Please let me know if I screw up anywhere! By the way, I got a comment that was complimenting you on your ideas. So yeah.**

 **Anonymous7 - I don't know what you mean when you say 'human size'. Fairies are generally about normal size, they just have wings and magic powers.**

 **elveron294 - Thanks!**

 **TheAmberShadow - You know me too well. And thanks for asking! I'm really proud of my novel. It's called 'Puppets On String', and follows the lives of the planet's new inhabitants after an apocalyptic event wipes out the human race. I'll just leave it at that, because I could honestly talk about it forever. Thanks!**

 **Jens - You bet you are, friend. Yeah, Rover's just excited about the adventure and NOT the Creature-tormenting part. Thanks!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

She massaged her neck, rolling it from side to side. She was almost home, almost home. Strolling through a tropical forest, she was alone. Wind swept her black hair into elegant tresses that flowed behind her, as her strikingly blue eyes darted about with suspicion. Scars dug into her back, inhibiting her movements, but at least she didn't have those stupid wings anymore.

It went without saying that she preferred taking on her Hydroscale form, but given the circumstances it was safer to look human until she got home.

Almost home, almost home.

With each step her mind drifted farther and farther, until it stumbled upon Farukon. She was hurt, both physically and emotionally. She could only hope Farukon would forgive her for not taking her former cellmate with her. But she needed to escape, she had to get back home. Her village needed her.

"Come on," she insisted with an agonizing grunt. "You can do this. Just a little bit further. You got this!" She tried to keep her voice cheery and peppy as it usually was, but the pain kept draining that part out of her.

The crude stitches that fused her essence to her new Fairy one dug into her, intensifying the pain of everything else. If she could just get home, Sea Foam could probably fix her essence and all this distress would go away.

Almost home, almost home.

Her light peach skin was toned with hardened muscle mass, ripped up with scrapes, and mutilated by scabs slowly being replaced with scar tissue. It tugged and tore with every step, as each inch forward killed her just a bit more. She had seen so much, experienced even more. It would all be over, if she could just get home. Almost home.

"What if they aren't as welcoming as you're hoping?" came a voice.

She retreated behind a tree. Who was there?

It was just a trio of the red ones. Usually there were just green ones, but in recent times they had been receiving backup from a group of red ones. So far the only difference anyone could tell was that these ones wore red. They weren't any smarter or stronger.

Huh. The ones that held her captive wore blue, the ones that took her wore green, and these ones wore red. What other colours did these horrible people have? What was the meaning of the colours? Perhaps she would find out, but she would have been content with them leaving before she found her answer.

"Don't worry," assured another voice. "They will be. They HAVE to be. Once they know we're on they're side-"

"Your recklessness concerns me," hummed a third, more wise voice.

The owner of the first was tall, middle-aged, and his mature appearance matched the aura about him. His grey hair was parted to the side and wavy. His face told of great turmoil and stress left behind in his past.

The second voice was about her height, with tan skin and spiky hair. A scar adorned his face, adding to his edgy persona. He was walking front and center, pride swelling from each step. His plan was going to work, it HAD to work.

The third person had decayed into old age, using a staff to maintain the brisk pace he was and lagging just behind the other two. Long, white facial hair drooped from his face. She almost pitied him. No old man was supposed to be doing a job as physically rigourous as this.

"I still think we should stay back and continue our search for Lloyd," said the second.

"He's in good hands," said the first.

"You keep telling us that, but you have explained little."

"It's..." the first cast his gaze to the ground in a mix of shame and rage. "...probably better if you didn't know."

"Kai-"

The third interrupted the second by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Brother. Leave it be. We cannot bicker the whole way to the Hydroscale base. How do we expect to get along with them if we cannot get along with ourselves?"

So they were seeking out her village too, it seemed. She couldn't let these miscreants find it, though. Not before her. She had to stop them and whatever malicious intentions they brought with them.

Time to act.

She leaped out with a roar, tackling the spiky-haired one to the ground.

"Ugh!"

"Stay away!" Her eyes flashed, now slitted and deep azure. Scales began crawling out the corners of her skin, turning her body blue.

"What the heck!"

The boy tried to fight back. He shoved her off. The four of them took on battle stances.

"We don't wish to fight you," insisted the middle-aged one.

She wasn't listening. She didn't care to hear their lies. She just knew that they were the enemy, that they would hurt her people if they weren't stopped. If she died fighting them, it would be worth it. Anything to put an end to these vile invaders.

Lunge.

More of her transformed into her Serpentine form, the glorious form she inherited from her father, with white and green marks decorating her shiny scales. Fangs grew out and over her lips.

The middle-aged man gasped. "You're a Creature?"

"I am a Hydroscale!" she shouted. "I am filled with the fury of my people, the people you continue to persecute! But no more!"

"We don't want to fight you, can't you see that?!" Kai groaned, irritated. "We're..." he looked away, and took a deep breath. "We're not going to poach you or hurt you."

She cocked her head. That was a strange change in his voice. It was genuine, it was soft, it was concerned and scared.

Her arms fell to her side, though she didn't drop her battle stance. "Oh? What are you here for?"

"That's better." The young one walked up to her, flinching as she shifted her weight. "See, I'm undercover. They tore apart my family, and I'm trying to put it back together. But I just learned some of their plan, and what they intend to do to your-your people. We came to warn the Hydroscales."

Her tone changed to match his, her whole demeanor evolving into one that was much friendlier. "Oh. I was just on my way to the village myself."

"We would appreciate if you could show us the way," said the oldest.

She chuckled and said, "Of course! I'm Sakura, by the way."

The young one was still frozen with shock, surprised by her abrupt emotion shift. The middle-aged man walked past him and held out a hand. "I'm Garmadon. That's Kai, and that is my brother Wu."

"So what is it that you wanted to warn us about?" She didn't bother going back to human form. She generally had a good sense of character, and that sense told her that these people could be trusted. Kai, Garmadon, and Wu wouldn't betray that trust, she could feel it.

"The Serpentines are planning something horrible," said Garmadon. "A massive attack on your village. They've almost found it."

That explained why these three were so frighteningly close to the village. They had taken many precautions in masking the location of their society, and the thought of it being uncovered shook Sakura to her stitch-riddled core.

"But we can take 'em," Sakura promised with a grin. Her body still ached, but maybe social interaction would keep her mind off it. Almost home, almost home. "We're strong and powerful."

You don't understand," groaned Kai. "The Serpentine are ALSO strong and powerful."

"You don't look that strong and powerful," she snickered.

"I-I am SO strong and powerful! Take me on one-on-one and I could beat you!"

"Really? You didn't seem to be fairing so well back there."

The two continued to bicker back and forth, debating on who was stronger and more powerful and could beat the other in a fight.

"Enough!" Garmadon roared. "Need I remind you we have bigger problems on our hands. Like possible world DESTRUCTION, for instance."

Sakura's face sunk. Her stitches burrowed deep into her sudden grief. "What?"

Garmadon coughed. "There is a reason the Serpentines have been increasing activity in recent times. And unfortunately, their motives aren't as good as ours."

"We must act with haste," Wu added with a raspy cough, and picked up the pace. "Otherwise something much worse than the extinction of your species will be on our hands."


	26. The Price of a Secret

**Whoa. 26 chapters. We're really working our way through this thing, aren't we? AND 128 comments. You beautiful people. In other news, I am so sorry I took such a long time to update. I had a math project to work on, an essay, a speech, and a friend who's going through depression. Who knew high school could be such a wild ride?**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Really? Thanks!**

 **TheAmberShadow - They certainly will freak out. And I'm a girl, and I agree with your statement 100%. (And I honestly think they should keep Lloyd single, mainly because he's technically still a kid and also because I'd like at least one character with no romantic interests)**

 **Anonymous7 - Glad I could clear that up. Thanks!**

 **elveron294 - Aw, thanks!**

 **Jens - Why thank you so very much!**

* * *

In recent days, all the news seemed to talk about was the Creature. After many failed attempts at names and aliases, they had settled on calling it 'Wisp-er'. It was a play on words, combining Wisp and 'whisper' because the Creature was a Wisp and didn't talk much.

...

It seemed more clever at the time.

Pixal was both bothered and touched by the media coverage. Sure, it made her job a lot more complicated with people swarming towards the fights she got into, but she was happy to oblige when some little kid wanted an autograph or something. As a Creature standing for the humans being attacked by the Masters, she had quickly developed quite the reputation in Ninjago City.

One glaring problem, however, was that her presence made people feel safe - safe enough to walk out, alone, past curfew. Sure, the chances of them actually getting attacked by the Masters were slim, but those odds were increasing with every day.

The Masters were getting bolder and more active, in response to the recent surge in Serpentine activity. They felt threatened by human poachers, so they decided they'd increase their own poaching efforts. They stole people off the streets and did who-knew-what to them.

Worst of all, Wisp-er's presence in the town made Echo more brave as well. There was no way to know if she could protect him, which was why she got into the superhero business in the first place.

He had gotten close to figuring out her double-life a few times. Apparently, keeping a secret is harder than fighting criminals in dark alleys.

She swooped in through the window and pulled down her hood. The blue tinge of her body radiated throughout the room. The clock read 1:32 AM. Later than most nights, but still a successful patrol.

Her Wisp sense picked up on every breathing detail of the house - the paint chipping off the walls, the dust lingering in the corners, the dishwasher whirring next door, the sound of emptiness, the dying of the flowers on the tabletop vase.

She expected to feel Echo's presence on the couch, feel his chest expand and contract as he breathed. She was sure he'd be there as he was every night, unconscious and dreaming. At this point the bedroom was assigned to her and the couch was assigned to him - the nightly coin toss was just a formality.

She knew he'd be there, he was always there.

And yet, he wasn't. In fact he wasn't ANYWHERE near the couch. Not in the house, not outside, nowhere.

Mortified, Pixal burst into the living room. She strained her Wisp-sense to the point of almost collapsing, so much so that she could feel every atom in her immediate vicinity. He had to be here. Where was he?

She didn't bother turning back into human form. She had to find him. She extended her Wisp-sense as far as it would reach.

"Where are you?" she hummed, trying to rub the tension out of herself but to no avail.

Then...something.

It wasn't Echo, but it was a strange thing that wasn't supposed to be there. Unless her memory failed her, and it didn't, that wasn't there before.

It was a piece of paper, slapped onto the table and held in place with a pen.

She hovered over to it and experienced every drop of drying ink that decorated the paper with smooth but frantic scribbles:

 _Dear Pixal,_

 _If you're reading this, then that means you must be alright. If you are hurt, the first aid kit is under the sink. I am gone because I found you weren't in your bed, and was scared for your safety. I know you don't like talking to the police about things, because of your tattoos and not wanting to be found, so I haven't yet alerted them of your absence. Instead, I've gone outside to see if I can find you. If I'm not back by the time you read this, then I'm probably wandering around in search of you. If I don't find you by sunrise, I WILL alert the authorities. I intend to return at sunrise, so please do not go after me. Just sit at home and wait, please. And Pixal, please be okay._

 _~Echo._

She covered her mouth and smothered the gasp that came out.

When he came home, she'd have a lot of explaining to do. He would probably be safe from the Masters tonight, since she had just come back from roughing 'em up pretty good, but any number of other things could have happened to him.

This was the price of keeping a superhero double-life from one's loved ones. But was it worth it? Did she get anything from not telling Echo, or did she hide it from him because of standard superhero protocol? Because telling people was just something you weren't supposed to do? There was always the 'keeping loved ones safe' when a superhero got asked about their motives for secrecy. But who was a secret protecting? Who was HER secret protecting?

Perhaps it was because he'd want to help if he knew, and she couldn't protect him in the heat of battle.

Why was she so protective of him in the first place?

Sunrise came and went, and with it passed many poor excuses she conjured for his tardiness.

By the time he was supposed to leave for work, her mind had raced towards all the worst-case scenarios imaginable: getting mugged, getting killed, getting abducted by aliens, being caught in a burning building, chased by dogs...

She told herself to get a grip.

What Pixal didn't know was that her fear was entirely justified.

At 12:12 AM, Echo was jolted out of a nightmare. In it, terrible things had happened to Pixal. Things that felt so real.

At 12:13 AM, Echo opened the door to her bedroom to check on her. He came to her bed and discovered she wasn't there.

At 12:16 AM, he wrote the letter.

At 12:17 AM, he went out the door.

At 12:41 AM, Echo was caught in a shady part of town. He wasn't alone.

At 12:42 AM, the strangers in the dark revealed themselves to be Masters members. They proceeded to fight him.

At 12:44 AM, Echo started fighting back. He used moves he didn't know he had, moves he had dreamed someone had taught him.

At 12:45 AM, it seemed like Echo might actually win.

At 12:46 AM, Echo lost. The Masters shoved his now-unconscious body into a potato sack, tossed it in the back of a truck, and drove to some obscure location.

Needless to say, Echo wouldn't be coming home for a long while.


	27. Bone Fairy

**I think that last chapter made a new record - TEN COMMENTS for ONE CHAPTER. Give yourselves a round of applause.**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - ...please don't hurt me...**

 **elveron294 - Don't worry, Echo won't die (yet).**

 **Jens - Yep, it'll only get darker. Echo will come back safe! Yeah, pretty tragic.**

 **RJ - Thanks!**

 **EchoZane - Funny you should ask. This chapter just so happens to be about Jay.**

 **jessicamoncada0824 - Thanks :)**

 **TheAmberShadow - I guess. I just can't seem to get past the fact that if not for the Tomorrow's Tea he'd still be a child. Heck yeah, Samurai X is TOTALLY Pixal!**

 **MusicLover435 - Thanks :) :)**

 **Ninalb - Thank you so much!**

 **Anonymous7 - Haha, no promises.**

 **Also, IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! This next chapter is probably our most graphic so far, and I know some people might be sensitive to that kind of stuff. If things like blood and torture make you queasy or uneasy, just skip to the bottom of the chapter where I'll have a brief summary of what happened. That way you can still know what's going on, but no be forced to read things that make you uncomfortable.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

They were called Chimeras. Really they were just Hybrids with more than two essences stitched together, but it sounded a lot cooler so it was the label many of them identified with.

Much to her chagrin, Farukon was one of them. She didn't like to talk about it, though, which left Jay in the dark for the most part.

And speaking of the dark, where was he?

For the first few moments of consciousness, he could see and feel nothing. Where was his body, his hands, his-

Oh. Well that was certainly a predicament.

He was strapped to a table, one that was metal and cold and somewhat bent. Leather belts held him in place at his ankles, wrists, and neck. His tousled ginger hair flopped over his face, in a way that somewhat hindered his sight.

For the most part, the area around him was dark. Not pitch-black, but the kind of dark where one can still see silhouettes in their peripheral and be justifiably mortified by them.

A tall, menacing figure emerged. "Who do you work for, pixie?"

Jay winced. Pixie was a derogatory term for Fairies. Either this guy didn't know, or he did and was just being a butt.

"With an attitude like that I'll never tell," Jay harrumphed in response.

"I don't think you're at liberty to determine what you will and won't tell me," the figure hissed. He was rolling in some kind of cart, though it was too dark for Jay to see what exactly it was. "But if YOU want to play that way..."

The stranger and his cart stepped into the dim light that showered the examination table Jay was on. He was crooked in every sense of the word, decked in classic Hypnobrai attire. His hair was dyed blue and yellow tattoo lines splashed onto his skin. A deep crimson swirled in his scary eyes, as their gaze pierced through Jay's fragile emotional stability.

"Skales," Jay scoffed with disgust.

"Good morning, traitor. So touched you remember my name. Ready to play with my new toy?" He flashed a toothy grin, and the cart rolled into view. On the drab, grey cart was a machine. It had exposed wires, pipes, gears, and computer chips, a spindle of thick black thread topping it all off.

"What the HECK is THAT?"

"You like it?" Skales patted the machine, which now whirred with a lively but threatening brrrrr. "This will stitch your Fairy essence with any other essence of my choosing. Unless, of course, you want to give me some valuable information."

"Like what?"

"Like what a FAIRY is doing in a poacher gang," Skales offered. "Is this an undercover investigation? Are you the only one? What have you found out? Why are you here? Who do you work for? Who are you really?"

Jay snorted and said, "I'd never give answers to the likes of you."

Skales shrugged and flipped a switch, increasing the volume of the machine's purring and the severity of its tremors. "Have it your way."

He took a metal cable and struck Jay's chest with it. The serrated rim hooked into his skin, and Jay replied with a scream.

His hands twitched, and electricity bursted from his palms. It did nothing to short-circuit the machine. In fact, the surge of his lightning only made it worse.

The spindle began twirling around, thread disappearing into the machine's heart and wounding around different parts.

Skales pressed another button, just as Jay's moaning started to die down. Trickles of Fairy blood began to seep down the sides of his chest-wound, but he had to keep a strong face. These people couldn't break him. These poachers couldn't win.

While the cable remained fastened to his chest, more wires reached out to various parts of his body and dug themselves into his flesh. More screams. More pain. More panic.

Jay shook and struggled, but his restraints were firm against him and the one on his neck started to choke.

"P-please..."

"Give me the answers and it will stop." Skales' voice was cold and authoritarian, the way he liked it. It spoke of his dreams to become the leader of the Hypnobrai. Maybe one day.

"N-never..."

Jay couldn't rat them out like that. If he told Skales everything he wanted to know, Morro and Lloyd and Kai and Farukon and everyone would die. No doubt Zane, Garmadon, and Wu were already dead but if they weren't then him telling the truth would surely make it happen.

Whether or not he tattled on their undercover operation, Jay knew he'd never see Nya again. He just hoped he did the right thing be removing that sound bug he discovered in his belongings.

Yeah, just think happy thoughts. He strained his brain to remember how happy he was when he saw the spyware and realized it was Nya's doing, but also the pain of knowing she had heard him be horribly tortured. To save her from further distress, he had disposed of the bug. He still wondered if that was the right decision.

So at least she wasn't hearing his screams, but at the same time it made him feel alone. While comforted by the dream that she would swoop in to save him, those hopes were dashed by the cruel reality.

The cords and cables latched themselves onto his nerves, spine, brain, and heart in a way that made him question why he wasn't dead yet. The agony subsided for a brief moment, and the machine turned eerily quiet.

"Feel like talking?"

Jay shook his head. He would never talk.

"Your loss." With a shrug, Skales moseyed over to a wall. It was too dark to make out any details, but from what Jay could tell it was a case of shelves stuffed with flasks.

"What should I hybridize you with, hmm? So many choices," Skales hummed while perusing his options. "Raiding that Witch colony sure was a fruitful endeavor, though unfortunately all the Witches had killed themselves before we could capture them. But at least we got some good essences from that. I mean - just LOOK at all these essences! Too many to choose from."

Jay spat a few choice words at Skales, who shrugged it off and kept analyzing the many essences. "I'm thinking...something rare, but not too rare. One that'd really make your life miserable. Oh! I know! How about this one?"

He pushed through a veil of fear and pain to ask - "W-what is that?"

"Oh this?" Skales absent-mindedly caressed it while strolling back to the machine. "This is just the essence of a Skulkin. You know what those are, yes?"

Jay's eyes quivered. Skulkins were the animated skeletons of martyrs who died in war.

"I'm thinking of calling you a Bone Fairy when I'm through," Skales mused. "What do you think of that name?"

Jay began to thrash about, but didn't possess the strength to speak. His throat was riddled with holes thanks to the wires, so even if he wanted to talk he could only make out weak murmurs. If he could have talked, he would have shouted some very angry explicits at his tormentor. Lloyd, who always discouraged cussing, would have been ashamed.

Without another word, Skales emptied the flask down a copper tube. The spindle spun faster, weaving the thread around and within the softly glowing essence before spitting it out into the main cable.

It travelled downward, downward, downward, and into Jay's chest. A million vices chomped down on his nerves, his body shook uncontrollably, and his chest lit up into a massive fire. Blood spurted from the holes and wounds. His essence grew unstable amidst the chaos, and that weakness allowed the Skulkin essence to swoop in and fuse itself to Jay.

Flesh melted off his body as he wriggled and writhed, wanting to scream but remaining unable. Ligaments and tendons tore and ripped to shreds, organs failing, systems dying.

A bony hand slipped from one of the leather restraints, and a skeleton face looked on at it in horror. No flesh, no organs, no muscles. Just bones magically moving - HIS bones. It was him, it was all him.

All the cords and cables fell limp at his sides, and retracted back into the machine. He was now thin enough to slip out of the leather straps and sit upright.

Once the final tremors of his seizure subsided, he attempted to stand but then decided against it.

He could still feel his Lightning Fairy powers coursing through his bones, and contemplated whether or not to use it.

"I'm...I'm..." Jay didn't have the heart or guts (literally) to finish that sentence.

"Welcome to the Hybrid world," Skales joked.

* * *

 **So this chapter talks about our favourite Lightning Fairy and him waking up strapped to a table. Skales comes in with a proposition: trade information in exchange for not getting experimented on. Jay says no way cuz he ain't gonna tell why a Fairy has been caught in a Creature-poaching gang, so Skales decides to screw around and put him through some pain. He pulls out this machine that Hybridizes people, and fuses Jay's essence to a Skulkin one. This turns him into a 'Bone Fairy', basically a skeleton. And there you have it.**

 **Have a good day, y'all!**

 **~erio**


	28. Please Just Forget

**Hey, y'all! Sorry it took so long. You'd think I would have more time to update, what with spring break and all. But here's the long-awaited chapter, if anyone's been waiting. Thanks for your patience!**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **Ebony umbreon - Yeah, you actually can do that with essences. But don't tell anyone else, because that would be considered a spoiler. If you really wanted, instead of unstitching your essence you could probably also get it replaced. Both are options. And to answer your other question about collecting essences. The get them started, a Witch often steals their first three or five and get the rest through buying or business. Most Witches usually steal the essences of people just as they're dying, because when you're dead you're not gonna be needing that (they do it just as the person is dying because when the person dies their essence is also dead and unusable). The bad ones, though, just steal random people's essences. Did that answer your questions?**

 **Loki God of Evil - Well good, because there's going to be a lot of water serpent-like Creatures.**

 **elveron294 - Wingaling? The fact that Jay's wings have been removed makes that nickname all the more depressing. And...actually no I don't. I've never written horror outside of this one short story I wrote for a horror contest.**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - (Yes! I get the reference. Emperor's New Groove, right?) WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?! If you and any of those fangirls hurt me, you do realize that would make it hard for me to continue the story. Right?**

 **toothlessturtle21 - Hahahaha, you have no idea.**

 **TheAmberShadow - Yeah, I was going to have him lose an eye so it could have some ties to canon but then...bam! This happened. The whole Bone Fairy idea just sort of popped out of nowhere and here we are.**

 **Guest - Yeah, it's possible, and Jay's situation will get brighter I promise!**

 **Anonymous7 - Always happy to 'help', and by help I mean kill you emotionally with cliffhangers and angsty suspense :)**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Nya snorted at the concept of luck. It was a foolish, superstitious thing people liked to believe in when they couldn't find a more rational explanation for whatever befell them. It was stupid, it was ignorant, and it was the only thing keeping her alive.

Somehow, by a sheer stroke of LUCK, their ship had remained intact. They sailed through a massive storm, wind slapping against her face as she barked futile orders at her 'crew' and tried to use her water powers to lessen the waves.

She couldn't help but grit her teeth at the realization that it was LUCK that got them shipwrecked and pinned to a mysterious lighthouse in the middle of the ocean.

Nya had no way of knowing whether all this was good or bad luck, however, and the only way to find out was to enter the lighthouse.

Cole, Gayle, and Nya sat and waited on the steps leading up to the lighthouse's door, impatiently waiting for Ronin to come back with Dareth. He insisted, for whatever bizarre reasons he might have had, that he search for his friend alone. Nya couldn't help but distrust his intentions, but had no choice but to play along. Arguing with him would get them nowhere in a situation like this.

She didn't think Ronin had a good bone in his body, much less good intentions, and that was half-true. Ronin, on the other hand, could only find peace of mind if he believed in his actions - no matter how immoral they became.

"Dareth?" His voice was weak and hoarse, and no amount of acting could hide it. "Where are ya, bud?"

Nothing.

A little louder, as he navigated around the jostled insides of the ship. "Dareth?"

Now he was in Dareth's overturned sleeping quarters. If his quarters weren't in complete disarray before, they certainly were now thanks to that storm.

Huddled on behind the overthrown bed and in the corner, stiff yet limp all the same, was a brown-clad police officer. He was flickering between life and death - literally. His body alternated between brief fleeting moments of opaqueness and long unstable breaths of translucence and even short spurts of complete invisibility.

An almost unconscious whimper escaped from Dareth's sealed, pouting lips.

Ronin frowned. It was happening again.

Going great lengths to be extra gentle and careful, Ronin took time easing himself beside Dareth. He squeezed the place where his friend's shoulder was supposed to be as it flickered between tangible and intangible. "I got you. I got you."

Dareth looked up at Ronin with pain-stricken eyes.

"I-I remember," he said.

"I know. I got you."

"You-you...that day, in the War..."

Ronin wanted to look away from the emptiness of Dareth's sockets, as his best friend threatened to blink out of existence forever. "I know. I made some regrettable decisions that day, and I'm sorry."

"You..." Dareth, void of the life and joy he was usually known for, turned and looked at his own flickering hands. "...I should be dead..."

"I know. I'm sorry. I got you, I got you. Don't fade on me, bud." Ronin reached into one of his many pockets, a secretive one that no one but him knew about. His hand emerged with a syringe clasped in it.

Dareth looked at the syringe and his pout intensified. "You're going to make me forget aren't you?"

Ronin let out a raspy sigh. "It's for the best, Dareth. If you remember as much as you say, then you know why."

"Because of the deal you...made...with that ghost...it's the reason Morro's a ghost...isn't it?"

Ronin heard Dareth say that many times, he had witnessed Dareth come to that conclusion so much that he stopped keeping track. It was true, of course, so Ronin simply replied with a well-rehearsed answer: "You would've become the one, Dareth, that became the ghost. That guy I made a deal with to save your life...he was going to curse you to an eternity as a ghost like him. It would keep you alive, but it was a price I was willing to pay. I told him to give the ghostly affliction to anyone else, anyone. He chose Morro of all people. If I could go back and change all that, I would. But the deal's been made, and now I have to live with the consequences."

Ronin temporarily let go of his fading friend to remove the cap from the syringe.

"What...what consequences?" Dareth hiccuped.

The thief didn't like this part of the conversation. Part of him wanted to just plunge the syringe into Dareth's arm, wait for him to wake up all healthy and happy and ignorant, and go about the rest of his day. Part of him also wanted to finally answer that question. After all the times Dareth had remembered and forgotten, Ronin never could give that one specific question a good answer. What consequences?

Maybe he could answer, just this once. It wasn't like Dareth would even remember this conversation.

"Well," Ronin said while he prepped the syringe for the inevitable injection. "For starters - you can't ever know about the deal I made. Otherwise, what's happening to you right now, happens. And if I don't make you forget with the amnesia liquid in this syringe, you'll continue to fade into oblivion. And I..." He stiffened. "I have to pay off a large debt. Otherwise, he'll steal my soul."

Dareth smirked. "We really do have a...knack...for-for getting into...trouble, don't we?"

"Heh. Yeah, I suppose."

"Is that...is that why you're a thief...?"

"Yeah."

Before Dareth could inquire about any other possible consequences (ones that Ronin was much less keen on divulging), Ronin stabbed his arm the moment he flickered into tangibility. The flicker would be short, so he had to act fast. In mere seconds, a powerful amnesia drug was coursing through the police officer's veins.

He removed the syringe, tossed it aside carelessly, and watched. The man beside him shook wildly. He contorted and twisted and struggled against the forces seeking to make him forget. Forget it, don't fight it.

Dareth Dojo slumped into unconsciousness, slowly making his way back to full tangibility and visibility.

While sitting there, Ronin contemplated what it could have been that would trigger the memory. Perhaps...perhaps the violence of the storm could have brought memories of the War to surface. Or maybe it was Nya's shouting.

Looking around at the small, cramped, whirl-winded sleeping quarters, Ronin realized that the appearance of this place must have shocked some memories back into him. Mess or no mess, the size and shape of the room looked horrifyingly similar to the bunker they stayed in while Ronin wagered for Dareth's life.

Dareth was fully human now, but not yet awake. The flickering subsided with the seizures, and Ronin had the conviction he needed to feel safe that Dareth had forgotten.

He dragged Dareth's chubby, sleeping body up to the stairs where everyone waited for them. With a chuckle Ronin put on his usual act, handed Dareth over to Gayle, and said, "Seems like he's still got his talent for being knocked out right when we need him most."

Gayle brushed some locks out of her boyfriend's face. "Will he be alright?"

"He'll probably wake up any minute now," Ronin said. "The worst he's got, I'm sure, is a concussion. That's all he ever gets."

Nya crossed her arms. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something felt...off. She tried to dismiss it.

"Well," Cole said with a stiff voice. "Guess this washes away any chance of either figuring out what's happening on Melody Island or saving Jay from whatever horrible situation he's gotten himself into."

Nya nodded, lips terse at the mention of Jay. She swallowed all thought of his screams, which still echoed in her mind no matter how hard she tried to smother them. "Where do you suppose we are?"

"A lighthouse," Cole said. He stretched his rock arms as he rose to his feet. "That's all I can say for sure. Should we check it out?"

"Of course," Nya replied. Perhaps it would keep her mind off of the obvious peril all her loved ones seemed to be in at the moment. The two informed their group of what they were doing, and walked up the rest of the steps.

The sky had cleared and the sun stretched thin along the horizon, tinting everything it touched with a sunset glow. Shadows danced in their wake as Cole and Nya headed for the door, beckoning a yawn from the Water Fairy.

Knock, knock, knock.

Nya almost questioned why Cole even bothered. It wasn't like anyone actually lived here-

The knob shook, and the door swung open.

A small man stood there, with frazzled white hair, an old face, and hazy glasses to magnify the beady eyes and their piercing but friendly gaze.

That was certainly unexpected.

Cole gave the man a sheepish wave. "Uh...hello?" Nya would have nagged him about such an awkward greeting, but she knew she couldn't have done any better herself.

The man smiled. He saw them, their ship, and their friends just a ways away, and instantly he had a basic idea of their predicament. He opened the door wider. "You've shipwrecked it seems, yes?"

"Uh-"

Come in, come in! And bring your friends along too. Oh, it's been so long since I've had visitors. My name is Dr. Julien."


	29. The Body-Sharing Duo Are Bad Parents

**Well, here we are. Just one chapter away from the big 3-0. Can you believe it? I don't think I've ever written a fic this successful or long. I've said it a million times by now but I really do love y'all.**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **Ebony umbreon - Well...there's something of a happy ending. The sequel I'm planning will NOT have a happy ending, but as far as I know 'Veni Vidi Vici' has a happy ending. So there's at least that to look forward to.**

 **elveron294 - Honestly, same here. I think we'd all love to give Ronin a good hug-slap.**

 **Jens - Morro does not know yet, and you can only imagine what his reaction will be when he finds out it's Ronin's fault he's a ghost. And all your Julien-related questions will be answered in time, I promise.**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Haha! How about we DON'T bring it on. I'd like to just huddle in my room and pretend they aren't going to attack me for tormenting Jay.**

 **TheAmberShadow - Dareth is...something like that. It's a bit more complicated, but that will all be explained in the future. Julien is one of my favourites too!**

 **Anonymous7 - Everyone has so many questions! Don't worry, they'll get answered before the story's over! Aww, thanks :)**

 **jessicamoncada0824 - Thanks!**

 **And..enjoy!**

* * *

 _Mashed potatoes are good._

"Is that what that is?" Morro asked in a hush voice, slopping a scoop of the grey sludge onto his plate. "I never would've guessed."

 _Honestly? I'm just guessing too. You're on your own with the flavour._

Morro moved along to the next food station, where his two options were chicken-flavoured seaweed or seaweed-flavoured chicken. "I thought you could taste and feel what I taste and feel, since we share a body." He made sure to be extra quiet when saying that.

 _Nah, I'm just a spectator - go with the chicken-flavoured seaweed. You're in my body so you're vegan._

"Ah, the truth comes out. I had my suspicions."

Lloyd chuckled. _What gave me away?_

"You are a total health nut, you know that?"

 _Candy can get you into a lot of trouble, and I don't just mean cavities. I used to be obsessed with junk food until...never mind._

Ah, another sensitive topic. Morro put a few pieces of seaweed on his plate before moving on. He asked, "So...what's it like?"

 _Being vegan or being possessed?_

The one in charge of their body pondered that for a moment, before departing from the food assembly for the lunch tables. "Both."

 _Well you're already getting a 'taste' of the vegan lifestyle. And being possessed...it's really weird._

"Go on."

He sat beside Rover, and listened to his chipper acquaintance blabber on and on about everything while Lloyd revealed something about himself that was so much more...personal.

 _I can't feel anything, taste anything, smell anything - all I can do is see through your eyes and hear through your ears. I've been in a perpetual state of existential crisis since I consented to this possession in the first place._

As much as he hated to admit it, Morro hadn't given much thought to what it was like to be in the back seat. He spent so much time thinking about what it felt like to be behind the wheel of a body that wasn't even his, and all the surreal dis-associative feelings that came with the territory. He hadn't once considered that Lloyd was enjoying this just as little as he was.

Morro didn't say anything, since Rover was next to him and it would have been rude to interrupt his friend.

"- I'm thinking blue will match better, but honestly the yellow is a more adventurous colour," Rover rambled. He turned to face Morro. "What do you think, Lloyd? Blue or yellow?"

 _Say green._

"Uh, green."

Rover's eyes lit up. "Oh my goodness! You're a genius, Lloyd! It-it's got the nice bold tones that match with the overall appeal of the design, while not abandoning the gung ho spirit of exploration! Not to mention how it ties in with the rest of it..."

 _Don't worry, Morro. I know what he was talking about. I was paying attention._

Morro contemplated asking Lloyd to explain, but it didn't seem like a good time.

Once Rover had settled down his voice turned a bit more serious (if that was even possible for someone like Rover) and he said, "So. Today's our first day. How lucky you are to actually go out on the field and stuff. I'm stuck here on dish duty."

 _Don't say it. I know you're going to say it but don't. You know it'll -_

"You realize what we're doing here, right?" Morro said, his face shadowed by a vaguely sadistic smile. "Poaching innocent Creatures and tearing apart families?"

 _...Aaaand you said it. You're dead to me, Morro Kaze. Pun intended._

Rover's eyes widened, his face overwhelmed with shock and grief. "W-what?"

Morro got up to put his tray away, like a cliche movie protagonist walking away from a fight with a massive explosion at their heels.

Before emerging from the cafeteria, Morro put his helmet back on. His smirk had yet to fall from his lips, and Lloyd hated it.

 _You just obliterated his innocence, you monster._

"No, I opened his mind and helped him realize how what the Serpentines are doing is wrong. Someone was bound to tell him eventually."

 _You ruined a perfectly good Rover, is what you did._

Deep down Lloyd knew Morro was right, but was neither willing to admit it nor accepting of how bluntly Morro broke it to Rover. Rover did need to know, sooner rather than later - but Lloyd had always imagined they'd inform him in a similar fashion to how he thought parents sat their kids down to tell them Santa isn't real. Lloyd didn't know if parents even DID tell their kids that stuff, since he certainly never got that conversation with HIS parents. Then again his mother WAS dead and then there WAS all that other traumatic stuff in his childhood he preferred not to dwell on. Like the Witches, the circus, the whips and the cages and the shouting and horrifically omnipresent smell of popcorn that they wouldn't let him eat because he was just an animal...an animal...an animal that belonged in a cage and didn't get to eat because animals didn't matter and were only good for entertainment and hard manual labour and enduring the harshness of the flames they would brand him with and the coal they'd shove down his throat and the chains. The chains that chaffed his wrists and joints, that scarred the folds of his new Creature body...

...

If he could have, Lloyd would have shuddered at the memory of how he figured out for himself that Santa wasn't real.

Morro took in a breath of the pleasant, salty air, unaware of the post-traumatic stress Lloyd was fighting at the moment. He was aware, however, of how quiet Lloyd had been since the end of their discussion. Perhaps Lloyd just wanted to drop it? Or maybe he was giving him the silent treatment? Whatever it was, Morro found the quietness both soothing and irksome. He decided not to express his concerns and leave it as is, and instead appreciate this rare gem of a moment.

He moved through the dense-but-slowly-thinning forest effortlessly, no longer giving any thought to what could have been around the corner. Morro just allowed himself to get lost in his own mind, satisfied by the serenity that came with silence.

It wasn't all silent, though - even if he couldn't hear it, there were a group of figures lurking in the shadows ready to pounce and whisk Morro far away from the Serpentine station he had reluctantly called home.

Morro couldn't hear them, but Lloyd could. He was about to warn him that they weren't alone, but by the time the figures made their move it was too late.


	30. Reunions (Don't) Suck

**Here we are, kids. Chapter 30. It's been a wild ride, and it'll only get wilder from here. Here's a celebratory fluff chapter - as close to fluff as I can possibly get without disrupting the flow of the story.**

 **Comment Reviews!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - He most certainly is!**

 **jessicamoncada0824 - Thanks :)**

 **TheAmberShadow - Rover's colour rant was regarding how to go about accessorizing his helmet. And Lloyd does not yet know the tooth fairy isn't real, so don't disappoint him!**

 **elveron294 - They're always screwed.**

 **Loki God of Evil - Sorry about that, hehe. You'll have plenty of time to adjust to the new Jay, I promise.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Much to Kai's surprise, the Hydroscales were quite hospitable. The trio were fed well, treated like heroes, and given exclusive access to closed-doors meetings with the leaders of the village. And he wasn't gonna lie, the ladies weren't all too bad themselves.

Quite a few had taken to his grandiose and considered him worthy of flirting with, though most were too shy to leave their giggling and blushing to actually face him.

Garmadon and Wu mentioned repeatedly, till perhaps his ears were bleeding, that this wasn't a vacation and that they had more pressing matters to attend to.

Sakura's story of the Hybridization lab concerned the Hydroscales and their visitors alike. There was more to the Serpentines' plan than they had first thought.

The goal was to collect Creatures. Poaching hadn't been completely wiped off the table, but now it took a back seat. They wanted a variety, and they wanted a lot. Manipulating essences to create new kinds of Creatures was probably just another means to an end. But what was the end?

Kai was slumped against a wall, surrounded by a crowd of obsequious girls who were all fascinated by his wings and his fire and his attitude and his hair and his...oh God, he was perfect.

Sakura wasn't amused, though she kept quiet. Though he was as gaudy a prick as she would let out, he was her guest. She hoped that one day they'd be friends, because life without friends was a world without colour.

Though today, as much as it pained her, was not a day for making friends. It was for interrogating enemies.

She slithered her way up to Kai, through the teeming crowd, and snatched him by the ear. It took him a moment to recognize who it was that was pulling him away. He had a harder time telling Hydroscales apart, and much preferred Sakura in her human form. Much to his chagrin, he hadn't seen her human form since their first encounter - and even then only briefly.

Sakura released his earlobe, which throbbed as he coddled it. "What the heck, Sakura?"

"I need you."

"For what?"

She gave a bright smile as she said, "You'll see! Now follow me."

Not sure what else to do, he gave one final wave to his adoring fans and fluttered in pursuit of his acquaintance.

"I hate how you love leaving me out of the details," he grumbled.

She really did love it. It was fun to mess with him. He made it too easy. "Alright, fine," she said. A sigh. "We captured a Green One - a Venomari - and are currently interrogating him."

"For what?"

"Well you and your friends clearly don't have ALL the details," she answered. They took a detour to avoid the lively bazaar just ahead and instead took a dusty back road to get to their destination.

The prison was small and made of crude tropical materials, like grass and tree trunks and leaves and the sort. The walls were made of logs, twine, and hay.

Sakura smirked, took him by the hand, and dragged him through the entrance at top speed. "Here we are!" she chirped.

The inside was much more advanced, in the sense that there was only one cell and it held a frightened Venomari behind glowing purple bars. They pulsed and flickered, and looked dangerously hot to touch.

Before he could lean in and whisper an inquiry regarding the bars Sakura murmured to him, "We're good at altering people's minds. While this fancy trick of the mind doesn't work on fellow Hydroscales, foreigners like you are none the wiser."

"You mean those bars actually aren't there?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Nope! But don't touch them. It's an illusion, but it's a powerful one that induces false sensory stimulation on ALL accounts. It'll feel as real as it looks."

To hear such fancy, almost scientific, talk made him shiver. It seemed the Hydroscales weren't as behind-the-times as their tribal aesthetic was letting on.

Kai nodded with a grimace. "Noted. So...what do you need ME for?"

"Retract your wings," she said. "Make him think you're on his side. You're still in Serpentine clothes, he might trust you."

"You really think that?" How gullible.

"No, but it's worth a shot." Not gullible, just optimistic. A quality to be admired, though he wasn't admiring it.

"Why couldn't you have Garmadon or Wu -"

"They're in the war room developing you-know-what."

Did he 'know-what'? The...oh! She meant Operation Coral Dagger. They still hadn't worked out all the kinks to that plan? Huh. He'd always expected more from those two old coots.

With a deep breath, Kai stepped forward. His wings slipped back into his back, stinging just a bit as they did. He ran a cold hand through his tousled hair, slicking it back and out of his face.

The person was sitting in the corner, huddled and worried and murmuring to himself. Kai had to strain his Fire Fairy eyes to see any details since the prison was so dark. He would have lit a flame with his fire powers to get a better look, but he was supposed to pass as human and last he checked humans didn't have pyrokinesis.

The person's blonde, tufty hair parted at the side in an endearingly familiar way.

"I don't know what to do," he muttered. "I mean - yes, that's always an option...no way in hell...I get that, but - "

Kai leaned in. "Who're you talking to?"

The person lifted his head up, and only the silhouette of his soft contours of his face could be made out. "Uh, no one."

Kai sat on the floor, careful to give plenty of distance between himself and the not-really-there prison bars. "My name's Kai."

The prisoner froze. "K-Kai? Kai Smith?"

"Y-you know me?" Needless to say, this response had caught him off guard. A million worst-case scenarios ran through his brain.

The prisoner pulled himself up to the glowing partition. "It-it's me, Morro."

Kai didn't bother with pretending when he lifted up his flame-engulfed hand closer. It shed a bit of light on the other person, who bore the face of Lloyd Garmadon.

"Ll - Morro?!"

Sakura crouched beside the two. "Ooh, are you friends? Can I be friends too?"

Morro gave the girl a piercing glare. "Kai, what's going on?"

"We're working with the Hydroscales, and I think they captured you with the idea that you're an enemy."

"So he's another good guy?" Sakura exclaimed. "Sweet. Should I set him free?"

"Huh? Y-yeah."

Sakura snapped a command at the person orchestrating the illusion, and the bars flickered out. Kai didn't care how awkward it seemed, and just flung himself into familiar arms. "For the record, this hug is for Lloyd. How is he doing, by the way?"

Morro waited for a response from Lloyd himself. "He says he's doing good."

"Good, good." The two parted and Kai added, "Garmadon and Wu are here."

Morro smiled, presumably at Lloyd's reaction. Kai wished he shared the sentiment. Garmadon and Wu would find a way to reprimand him for not telling them that Lloyd was possessed, and he wasn't too keen on figuring out how.

When Garmadon embraced the body of his son, it was touching. His and Wu's tears of joys as they had a family group hug was a pleasing sight.

When Morro broke the hard truth to them, the results were heart-shattering.


	31. How to Save Your Echo

**For some reason the last chapter didn't show up in the most recent fics. Weird. In any case, here we are! Plenty of you were expecting a Borg confrontation, and here it is. Hope I don't disappoint... :)**

 **Also, I am so sorry I'm not up to par with my usual writing standards. Lately I've had a lot on my mind. Like, I'm starting driver's ed. So stay off the streets if you don't want to die! And I'm also getting back into this one show I watched a long time ago, and now that I'm watching it again it's like ALL I can think about. So...sorry...hehe...**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Oh come on, LTW, there's always time to flirt! At least for Kai there is...**

 **Ebony umbreon - Well, naturally.**

 **elveron294 - Lloro? That's a good name. Thanks!**

 **Anonymous7 - Thanks! Yeah, it confuses me too. Best not to think about it.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

The sight of the building in front of her reminded Pixal of everything she used to have - a nice mansion to live in, an arsenal of staff at her beck and call, a scenic life in whole...most people would have considered it a shame that she traded the pomp and praise of living wealthy for whatever this was.

It was a castle in comparison to the meek apartment she called home, decked out with the usual fountains and neatly trimmed hedges and all the cliche workings a mansion should have. Robots tended to the verdant flowerbeds, while others washed the windows and polished the many limousines parked out front.

The gate keeping her from her old home didn't have a speck of rust, looking as new as it was when she left. A big 'B' was engraved in a copper panel just above the grandeur of the gate's steel-work.

She pressed the button with a deep, shaky sigh.

"Who is this?" asked a tinny, familiar voice from the speaker.

It was too late to turn back now. "Pixal."

"Pixal?!"

Shuffling, rumbling, shouting. She placed her hands on her hips, trying to act like she wasn't terrified of what was to come.

The gate creaked open. All the robots were staring at her as she strutted down the cobblestone path. Pixal tried to ignore their looks.

One particularly familiar robot dashed into position in the center of the cul-de-sac. He had tufty black synthetic hair, a black cloth covering portions of his head and face save a glaring red eye, metal armour, and a black martial arts gi with purple and red straps.

He gave a smug, artificial grin as he said, "Welcome back, Miss Borg." He hated calling her that as much almost as much as she did.

"It is good to see you again, Cryptor," she lied.

The robot, Cryptor, was well-acquainted with the venomous tone she responded with. "The feeling is mutual. What brings you back after all this time?"

She swallowed hard and tightened her jaw before saying, "Is it wrong for me to wish to see my father again?"

"Liar," he echoed in his robotic, cold voice.

"You always could see right through me." The two headed for the marble door to the mansion. "I am here for a favour."

A mechanical scoff. "Typical Pixal, always receiving and never giving. What do you need now?"

She narrowed her bright green eyes at him. "That is for my father's ears and his ears alone."

Cryptor rolled his own red eyes before courteously opening the door for her. She walked through.

It disturbed Pixal how easy it was to slip back into her spoiled-brat habits. Realizing that her conversation with Cryptor resounded with tinges of her old self almost had her stopped in her tracks.

The lavish marble inside was shiny, polished, and needlessly extravagant. A red carpet trailed from the door and up the magnificent staircase stationed at the center of the first floor. Nothing had changed since Pixal ran away all that time ago, right down to the aquamarine flower vases and glittering chandelier.

"I will go fetch Master Borg," Cryptor said, swelling with contempt as he ran up to her father's room.

She leaned against one of the cold, smooth walls and checked herself - the makeup was still doing a good job at covering her tattoos. Her clothes were cleaned and pressed, and her hair was clean. But nothing Pixal could do was able to ease her intensely shaking hands.

Pixal didn't know how long it had been since she learned about her mother's true species, since she had learned about her father's lies, since she learned about the truth of her own lineage, since she ran away in retaliation, since she found herself somehow in the folds of the Serpentines.

Could she forgive her father? Could HE forgive HER?

He had a black comb-over and clunky coke bottle glasses. He sat in a suped-up wheelchair where the wheels were replaced with mechanical spider-esque appendages. They stormed down the steps in a graceless manner, as opposed to his bright and eager face.

"Pixal!" he cheered.

"Father," she said.

The man, one Cyrus Borg, came up to her as fast as his somewhat creepy transport could take him. "It-it's been so long!"

Pixal tried to suppress her smile, and he could see it. He fell back a bit. "You're still mad at me."

"I am," she answered. "But that is not why I am here."

"Oh, I see. It's good to have you back nonetheless, Pixal. What is it you need?"

She shot a look at Cryptor. "I would like to speak in private."

Cryptor grudgingly marched out the front door to let them have their moment. "I will be overlooking progress on the yard if anyone needs me."

"Very good," said Cyrus.

The door let out a hollow slam. Now it was just the two of them. "So..." Cyrus began. "...What happened to you while you were away?"

Pixal rubbed her arm. "Well, father, I...I met someone."

His smile was soft and knowing, but he didn't interrupt.

"His name is Echo. I saved him from the Serpentines. He used to be a Visionayr, but later some Witches turned him human. We have been living in an apartment in Ninjago City for roughly a month now, give or take. Then...just two days ago, he went missing. I have reason to believe the Masters took him, all things considered."

Cyrus knew exactly what his daughter was asking of him. "Of course. Anything for my daughter. But you aren't...you know..."

She blushed. "W-what?!" Pixal stammered. "N-no. No. No, father, I am NOT pregnant."

He sighed with relief. "Good. I'm not ready to be a grandfather yet." Cyrus regained his composure before asking, "So what can I do to help?"

"Anything that can take down the Masters," she said. "Anything that can help me defeat them before they do any serious damage to Echo."

"You care for him very much, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Do you love him?"

"F-father, what kind of...what kind of question is THAT?"

"I may have kept some despicable secrets from you," he replied. "I may not have seen you for the better part of two years...but I still know my daughter better than she thinks. Don't worry, Pixal. We'll get him back. I actually have been working on, believe it or not, a new initiative to collaborate with the police in serving justice to these 'Masters'. There is a new line of police droids I've designed that are meant to combat the Masters and prevent them from claiming new victims."

Pixal smothered a snort. Her superhero alter-ego certainly had no help from these police droids. "Are there any efforts to locating their hideout?" Pixal asked.

With a sigh of defeat Cyrus said no. "But you! You could help with that?"

"I could?"

"Yes, of course! Do you want to contribute to taking these people down? You could...ah yes, I see it all now! You could be a part of a team with the goal of tracking the Masters hideout! It could consist of you, Cryptor, I'm sure I could get some of my colleagues involved like Miss Dwayne and Mr. Edison...i-if you want to, of course."

Part of Pixal wanted to run away and never come back. She wanted to spit in the face of her traitorous father and forget this train wreck afternoon never happened. She wanted to put her old life behind her and try and find Echo on her own. She knew she was more than capable.

But...

But Echo deserved this. He deserved a hasty, efficient rescue. He deserved a squad of robot soldiers coming into whatever dark hole he was in. He deserved to be out of Masters clutches and safe, with a blanket wrapped around him and some warm cocoa in hand (did he even like cocoa?). He deserved to be swept off his feet and whisked to safety, cuddling by a warm and safe fire in her arms...in her arms where he would be safe and happy...

Where did that last part come in? She didn't love him. He was merely a good friend. That was all.

She smiled at her father. For Echo. "I agree to being a part of this team."


	32. Jay's Toe, to the Rescue!

**This chapter is another happy one. I'm actually getting really good at writing these. Hopefully none of you are getting bored by all the uneventful fluff happening in recent chapters. I promise we'll get back to the crushing angst shortly. Also, somewhat important announcement - it has come to my attention that I should specify that the way I depict the Hydroscales is different to how LegoTerraWarrior, the mastermind behind their existence, depicts them. So check out their fic/s regarding the Hydroscales if you want to know what they're REALLY like.**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **Ebony umbreon - Haha, oh the troubles of keeping a secret superhero identity.**

 **Anonymous7 - Thank you!**

 **TheAmberShadow - You...wow. That touches my heart that you like it that much. I originally planned it so that Echo would visit Borg without Pixal. I like Cryptor too. And yes, the chapter after this one is of the shipwrecked crew meeting Julien. I would have made it come sooner, but I have a pattern I'm trying to stick to. Thanks!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Yeah, basically. I'll have to look into this 'icephantom'.**

 **Jens - I'm glad someone picked up on that. You check for updates every day? Really?! That...that makes me feel so special...thank you so much, you beautiful person :)**

 **Ninalb - I honestly haven't decided if Cryptor will be bad or good yet. So far he's good, but I may change that in the future. Thanks!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.

The absence of his tenth toe was a disconcerting sensation. Then again, there was not a single thing about this that he was okay with.

For starters, he was still traumatized by having his flesh melted off - and being awake for it. Not to mention he lived to tell the tale. He still had electricity powers, thanks to still having his Lightning Fairy essence. It was just...stitched to a Skulkin one. No big deal. All he needed was a good seam ripper and someone who knew how to sew. Deep down, though, Jay knew it was probably more complicated than that. He just didn't want to admit it.

"Can you hurry up over there?"

"I am going as FAST AS I CAN," Farukon almost roared. She remained huddled in her corner of the cage, still hunched over his detached toe bone. "Stop being so impatient. Making a literal 'skeleton key' out of some random douche's toe is harder than I make it look."

Jay's eyes would have briefly flickered with frustration and anger, if they were more than just empty sockets. "Excuse ME, bird-face - who exactly are you calling 'some random douche'? I-"

"Would you two shut up already?" shouted a third, non-distinct voice.

"S-sorry Carl!" Farukon shouted back.

Jay resumed his whining in a quieter, but no less salty, tone. "If we're going to bust out of here - ALIVE, for the most part - then we have to learn to get along."

"And you can start getting along with my shutting up," she growled.

He couldn't come up with a snappy rebuttal before silence fell once more.

Jay was bored. He was chained to the side of a cage that hung from the ceiling with nine toes, a skeleton body, no clothes (though Farukon assured him countless times that skeletons didn't need clothes in the first place), a grumpy cellmate, and nothing to do. It couldn't have gotten worse than it already was.

"Psst!" came a voice.

Jay jolted back to life, startled. "Who's there?" he whispered, trying extra hard not to be heard by Farukon.

In a nearby cage that hung from the ceiling like his did, he saw the faint outline of a Serpentine - the Creature, not the poacher. From what Jay could tell, the person was Anacondrai. Yes, the purple, scaly physique was unquestionably Anacondrai.

The Anacondrai in question wasn't full-snake, though, as they possessed some humanoid qualities: like human hair, face, and hands.

Their hair was a deep shade of purple, held back in a short but loose ponytail. Their face was sharp and starved. Their hands were almost as cold and bony as his were.

"I heard you're trying to essscape," said the person.

"What's it to you?" Jay retorted, trying and failing to sound tough.

Farukon gave him a look. "I said shut up, moron." She returned to her work carving Jay's toe.

The person spoke again. "I think I might be of asssisstance...your friend over there. She'sss trying to carve a ssskeleton key, isssn't she?"

Jay frowned, but nodded.

"Have her hand it over," said the person. "I'm good at carving, and could probably get it done a lot fassster. I've actually MADE ssskeleton keysss before."

"How do I know you won't just STEAL it? How can I trust you?"

The person pondered that for a moment. "I don't know how I can make you trussst me, Jay-"

"How do you know my name?!"

"You and your friend bicker conssstantly," said the person. "Loudly. I know a lot about you two, asss doesss everyone elssse here."

Jay un-clenched his jaw, soothed by her calming personality and snarky attitude. "Can I at least know your name?"

A pause. "Ssskylor. My name isss Ssskylor. And however you choossse to essscape, with or without my help, can I at leassst count on you to ssset ME free too?"

There certainly was no harm in helping out a fellow inmate. He agreed.

Moments later, Farukon lifted the toe up into the air with a victorious grin plastered to her face. "Done!"

"Do you think it'll work?"

"It has to."

Farukon took in a deep breath before placing the key-shaped toe into the cuff that chained her to the cage wall. Chk-chk-chk!

She twisted her now free wrist. "Aha..."

Jay made a noise, non-verbally reminding her to free him too. It was his toe, after all.

Chk-chk-chk!

He smirked and rose to his feet.

Skylor cleared her throat.

"Right! Right!"

Farukon arched her eyebrows at him as Jay snatched the skeleton key from her grip and popped his arm out of socket. He then reached his arm to the outside of the cage door, where the lock was, reached in...

Chk-chk-chk!

The door was open, but Jay couldn't keep it from creaking and moaning as it swung ajar.

Skylor cleared her throat again, louder this time.

"I get it, I get it!"

Jay then stood on the outside rim of the cage, clinging to the bars as he reached his arm out to the door on his new friend's cage.

Chk-chk-chk!

Skylor muttered a hollow thank you when the toe fell was tossed into her reach. She used it to unlock her own chains.

"Who's that?"

"Her name's Skylor," Jay said. "Figured there'd be no harm in setting her free, too."

"Why don't we just release EVERYONE while we're at it?"

"Can we?!"

Farukon's dead look gave him all the answer he needed.

Skylor walked up to the door of her cage as Jay popped his arm back into place. "I could prove ussseful, you know. I know how to fix esssences. I could fix you guysss. Thanksss, by the way, for sssetting me free."

Jay's eyes would have widened. "You - does that mean - you're a Witch!"

"Sssay it a little louder, Jay, I don't think the Hypnobrai heard you clearly," Skylor said with a groan. "I'm trying not to let them know that. Rumor hasss it they give Witchesss...ssspecial treatment. There isss no way I'm going to manipulate esssencesss in sssome sssweat shop for thessse freaksss."

Farukon nodded. "Understood. So you coming with us?"

"Only if you two have a good plan," she replied. "Otherwissse I'm going sssolo."

"A wise choice. What did you say your name was again?"

"Ssskylor."

"I like you, Skylor."

With that, Farukon made a graceful leap towards Skylor's cage. Jay followed.

Skylor slithered back to make room for her new visitors. "Ssso what ISSS your plan, anyway?"

Farukon's eyes glimmered knowingly, and in a poof she transformed into a small falcon. Something seemed...off about her falcon form, though Jay couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly. Perhaps the light was playing tricks on him, but it looked like the falcon was made of shadows.

Their new friend was impressed, to say the least, by Farukon's display of ability. Without a word, the falcon flew over their heads and snatched their shoulders with her claws.

It was easy to lift Jay because he was literally all bone, but Skylor was a different story. Lucky for the trio, Farukon possessed near hulk-strength and could more than manage, even in bird form.

Their escape almost seemed to easy, but in a matter of minutes they were already flying through the barred window and into the free world. None of them made a sound or a peep. They couldn't risk the slightest amount of exposure.

Jay could have sworn the claw gripping his collarbone was made of shadows. Come to think of it, he hadn't truly seen much more than Farukon's shady silhouette since they first began sharing a cage. And he didn't really know the extent of her Hybridization. Perhaps she had been crossed with an Umbris? He didn't know all that much about Umbrii in the first place, but it was still a theory to look into.

Perhaps he'd ask her about that when they landed, but for now all Jay could think about was the sweet air blowing through his hollow ribs and the fresh smell of freedom that his nose-less state failed to experience. The sky was dark and overcast, but there was still enough light to see the blurry clumps of forest down below.

Was he...was he actually free? That word had a strange ring to it, like when you hear a song on the radio that you think you know, but can't remember if you actually do.

Free.

Free.

Free. For now.


	33. Insert Tragic Backstory Here

**Something tells me this chapter is something you've all been waiting for. That's right - this is a backstory chapter. Have fun. As always, I love you all and think you are amazing. Your comments always make me happy and smile. You have no clue. Sometimes I read them over multiple times just to convince myself that yes. People like my writing. They actually said that. They actually think this crap is good. You are all beautiful people.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
TheAmberShadow - Aww, thanks! And I'll explain what Umbrii are in the next Jay/Farukon chapter. They totally are!**

 **Ebony umbreon - Yeah, but Jay doesn't know that. He'll be very confused to find out no one is home.**

 **Jens - She IS pretty cool. Thanks!**

 **Anonymous7 - Yeah, let's hope so :)**

 **elveron294 - Skeletons are actually surprisingly good huggers. THANKS!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

"Would anyone like tea?" Julien asked. He straightened out his white lab-boat as his guests seated themselves around his small table.

The main living quarters were on the top floor of the lighthouse, but all there really was to it was a clothes line, a makeshift kitchen, and a small wooden table. It wasn't much, but at least it all was clean.

Nya eased onto one of the round cushions that served as chairs. "Thanks for your hospitality, Dr. Julien."

He shrugged off her compliment with a long-winded, awkward ramble about how he was lonely anyways and was always happy to help and that visitors were always welcome - after all, he didn't get many out here.

"May I ask why you're out here in the first place?" Gayle inquired, and set her half-awake boyfriend at the spot beside her. Ronin stayed against the wall and just watched from afar, fingers grazing the edges of another syringe in case it was needed. Sometimes one injection just didn't do the trick, but he hoped he wouldn't have to use two in one day. Especially not with everyone watching this time. They'd no doubt ask questions.

Julien chuckled, and sat down at the head of the table. "Well, isn't that a story to tell. But first, more pressing matters - how did a fine group of people like yourselves get stranded out in the middle of nowhere?"

Before anyone could say anything, he clapped a few times.

There was a rusted machine hanging on a wall hook, and Ronin jumped the moment it whirred to life.

It removed itself from the hook, got onto its feet and, with flashlight eyes wide open, bowed in obedience.

"Tea, please," Julien requested.

The robot obeyed, and walked to the cupboard. It pulled out six teal cups, handing one to each of the people at the table - and Ronin, who respectfully declined.

Then it proceeded to get the tea kettle and pour some of it into everyone's cups.

Cole breathed in a sweet puff of steam, imagining how great the tea must have smelled. It didn't smell as amazing as Cole imagined it did, but it didn't smell terrible all the same. In fact it served to soothe Gayle's nerves a bit.

Nya was startled by the robot, and chuckled out a surprised remark.

"Oh, this old thing?" Julien smiled. "He doesn't work - at least, not the way I want him to. B-but that's part of MY story. I want to hear about YOURS."

All eyes fell on Nya. Of course. She was in charge, after all, and had gotten them into this mess in the first place. She would have argued that they were the ones that wanted to tag along, and if she had only gone alone she wouldn't have had to buy a boat. The boat, she was sure, was what did them in (her - albeit untested - Samurai X mech was far more reliable).

"We're investigating suspicious off-coast activity," Nya said. "Have you heard of the Serpentines?"

Julien's eyes narrowed and he hissed, "Of course, those scoundrels took my son away from me...but...you seem far too young to be taking on conspiracies."

"Nya and Cole here are the only minors, sir," Gayle corrected. "The rest of us are adults."

"Still. Isn't it a bit dangerous? Shouldn't the authorities handle this?"

"I'm a cop," Dareth slurred, before slumping onto his girlfriend's shoulder. She stroked his hair, whispering," Yes, dear, yes you are."

"And after all they've done to us," Cole added. "I think it's more than our business. They killed me, Nya's family, kidnapped our friend Lloyd's dad and uncle, and kidnapped our other friend Zane-"

Julien held up a hand to signal him to stop. "Did you..." he pursed his lips and took a sip before continuing. "Did you say Zane?"

"Uh...yeah?"

Julien gripped his rocky shoulders and gave him a light shake. "Is-is this 'Zane' a Visionayr, by any chance?"

Cole and Nya exchanged looks. "Yes?"

Julien sat back down and let out a sigh. It was both happy and relieved, but also suddenly concerned. "Zane..."

"Dr. Julien sir?"

He opened his eyes. As he cleaned his glasses with the frayed end of his labcoat, his voice shifted to that of a melancholy storyteller. "When he was born, I can promise you he was very human. His mother died in labour, leaving me to care for him alone. For most of his childhood, he was healthy. He was happy, energetic, and the light of my life."

Gayle wasn't the only one who smiled at his blissfully reminiscent tone. Even Ronin struggled to fight a pleasant smirk.

"I was absolutely devastated when he was diagnosed with an incurable disease. I spent the next few years scouring the planet in search of a cure. Certainly there had to be SOMETHING that could save him, and as his condition grew worse I realized he was running on borrowed time."

Nya wanted to ask what he meant by telling them this story, but deep down she knew it was plain as day. Everyone but Dareth, who wouldn't have understood even if he was fully conscious, knew where he was going with this.

"I spent so long," he croaked. "Searching for a cure. Searching for a way to save him. I heard of some spell-casting Witches up in the mountains - "

"Spell-casting?" Ronin asked.

"Yes," Julien said. "Witches can in fact cast spells, but it's becoming a lost art. When a coven gets raided, the first thing that happens after the imprisonment of the Witches, is burning all the spell-books. Nowadays, trying to find a Witch who can cast spells is like searching for someone who can write cursive or hieroglyphics."

The robot pulled itself back onto the wall hook, and closed its eyes. This action did nothing to comfort Ronin, who was quite disconcerted by its steampunk presence in the room.

"I was looking for spell-casters," Julien added on. "Because I thought they could save my son. They might be able to use their magic to help him. I took him with me up the mountain, and...he fell. I tumbled down the mountainside after my Zane, but he was so badly hurt. Not far away there were some...there was a group of Visionayrs nearby, and they took him in to treat his wounds."

Nya buried her hands in her face, overwhelmed by the weight of what his story implied. She understood exactly how this was going to end, and if she was right, that just made everything worse. She could do nothing to change the ending she was predicting, only sit there and listen to it all play out.

Julien shook his head, as if shedding memories like old skin. "You may know that Visionayrs have a strange relationship with Shifters, one that hasn't yet been fully understood by science. Shifters often take on the role of the Guardian, who protects them from harm as they journey about in search of their Chosen One."

"Chosen One?" asked Gayle. She was writing all this down in her little observation notepad, which had miraculously survived the storm.

"Yes, the Chosen One. From what I understand, each Visionayr has a Chosen One. This is the person who they guide along through life. These people usually have some great destiny to fulfill, and it is the job of the Visionayr to make sure they do just that - while under the protection of their Guardian, of course. That's why Visionayrs are often on the move: they're in search of their Chosen One. But I digress." He cleared his throat, and Cole took the moment to sip his drink. He couldn't taste it, but he took comfort in telling himself that it was the best thing he ever had.

"The Guardians explained to me that the Visionayrs were healing him. Of EVERYTHING, even his illness. But that came at a price, as all things do. What they did to him, the way they cured him and saved his life...it turned him into one of them."

Nya would have proclaimed for all to hear that she was right, she called it, she so totally called it. But this wasn't something she was proud to be right about. That meant all her other predictions regarding Julien's tale were true, too.

Julien drank some of his tea to wash down the sudden surge of hoarseness swelling. "Ahem. They assigned one of their Shifters to be his Guardian, some girl named Farukon."

Yep. Totally called it.

"Then we went back home, but it just wasn't the same. He wasn't the same Zane I knew. He was happy, sure, but I could see in his eyes how much the future traumatized him. He could look at me and see my birth, life, death, and end of the world itself. I wanted to hug him and hold him but if I did, he'd melt. I realized then that all these years I was wasting my time trying to keep him alive, that I completely neglected to spend my time actually being there for him and playing with him and cherishing every last moment with him. And then...then the Serpentines attacked and took him from me. I searched for him and tried to get him back, but he was gone."

Julien was on the verge of sobbing, but no one intervened. He had to stay strong, he had to keep it in, for Zane.

Ronin tried not to let the moral of Julien's story cut too deep. But he couldn't help it. Was he wasting HIS own time trying to scrape up the money to keep both his and Dareth's souls? Should he have been cherishing his friends and what life they had left instead?

Nah.

The old man wiped his still-dry eyes and continued. "Eventually I just wanted to be alone, and found solace in the serenity of living in the middle of nowhere. Now this lighthouse is my home. The robot there, it was built so that if ever I saw him again, I could transfer his soul into it so I could get him out of that blasted Visionayr body and get my Zane back..."

A long, excessively long, pause fell. No one dared say a word, for fear of tainting the sheer emotional impact of his story with words less eloquent than his.

Julien himself was the one to break the silence with a smile and a soft shaking of the head. "But that's all old news. Continue with telling me how you ended up here, and how you know my Zane."

Nya blinked in surprise at his unexpected emotional 180, to discover her own eyes had grown damp. "Oh! I, uh, well, we..."

Cole swooped in to verbally save Nya from her stuttering wreck. "It all started in this Sanctuary back on the mainland..."


	34. Best Bodymates Forever, Right?

**Whelp. Here it is. This chapter was going to be a LOT different than it turned out to be. It was going to involve a lot more plot elements. So this chapter isn't really important. It's more of an angsty filler chapter featuring our favourite body-sharing duo. You don't have to if you don't want to. I promise the next chapter will be more plot-relevant and possibly life-changing.**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **Anonymous7 - Aw, thanks :) I have always wanted someone to cry while reading my stuff. Not because I like watching people cry, but because it means I did a good job.**

 **TheAmberShadow - Yeah, I can't help but think of Tai-D myself. But no, it's some strange semi-equivalent of canon Echo Zane. I think you'll actually be pleased with how Julien reacts to Zane's memory loss. And aren't we ALL collectively mad at Ronin?**

 **Ebony umbreon - Your words were very kind and they made me smile. Thanks so so much! :)**

 **Loki God of Evil - May have! And yes, I will soon get back to your bony 'prince' as soon as I can.**

 **LegoTerraWarrior -Someone WILL get their soul transferred into the robot. But who?**

 **Guest - Go Pixal!**

 **Jens - He'll get them back, don't worry. I don't know if you'll at all like the consequences of him getting his memories back, though. Please don't kabloom. That'll get messy, and you'd probably die.**

 **Ninalb - Okay, I wouldn't say it's better than yours. THANKS!**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City - Thanks :)**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Fixing essences was either impossible or mind-numbingly easy. It depended on who you asked.

For the Hydroscale that Morro never managed to catch the name of, it was the latter. It didn't take a Witch to fix Hybridization - just someone with experience and a modified seam ripper. This Hydroscale had more than his share of experience, and modifying a seam ripper was no real hurdle.

He had even offered to work with Morro and Lloyd, thinking that they were trapped in the same body because their essences were fused together. When that turned out to not be the case, it overwhelmed the group with a solemn dose of hopelessness. There was no way Lloyd and Morro would ever be separated.

 _How's my BBF?_

"Don't you mean BFF?"

 _No, BBF. Best Bodymates Forever._

"Bodymates?"

 _You know, like roommates but with a body. Since we share a -_

"I get it, Lloyd," Morro groaned.

 _Sorry. I was just trying to ease the tension._

"And it was a noble effort, really. I just need some silence, Lloyd."

 _A-alright._

Neither of them said anything, just sat there on the beach and watched the waves crash. Each time the water inched its way up to Morro's toes, he would flinch back as if his body was puppeteered by the same force pulling the tides. The sun glimmered and its light shimmered against the ocean's surface. Not a soul was out but the two of them, pleased by the serenity they sat within.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd," Morro finally said.

 _Sorry for what?_

"Sorry for doing this." He ran fingers that weren't his through locks of blonde hair that didn't belong to him.

 _Doing what?_

Morro rose to his feet, stumbling a bit until he gained his balance.

 _Morro? Doing what?_

The Ghost said nothing, just shuffled through the hot sand. The waves lapped at his bare skin. He flinched the first time, but thereafter eased into its soothing rhythm.

 _Doing WHAT?_

Now he was standing in the water. It reached his ankles, scuffing the bottoms of his pants as the ocean swirled around him. These weren't his feet, but it felt so natural to control them.

And he hated it.

 _Morro, doing what?!_

"THIS!" His outburst caught Lloyd off-guard.

"This," he said again, his voice smaller and weaker. "L-Living your life. Living in your body. Seeing the heartbreak in everyone's eyes and knowing that I caused it. All because you wanted to keep me alive."

Lloyd was silent. He said nothing. He didn't know WHAT to say.

Morro shut the eyes they shared. Lips pursed. He choked on his tears. It was something he was used to doing, not because he didn't like showing emotion or weakness (though that was also a reason) but because he was used to crying being painful.

Even in human form, it still was.

Lloyd wanted to hug him and give him a pat on the back and tell him it's alright. No one taught him how to comfort someone. No one taught him what to say our how to react to this. All he could do was be there, lodged in Morro's mind, held back from his own body.

Morro cringed, and wiped his face on his sleeves. "Like I said, Lloyd, I'm sorry."

With that, a sense of liberation washed over him. It tugged at his heart and pulled him up to the wheel. His hands clenched instinctively, body tense. Water tickled his legs as he stood there. The wind tousled his wavy hair. The salty breeze blew into him.

He could...he could feel it all. All of it.

But how was this possible? He hadn't...

Lloyd coughed and sputtering as sensation tingled back into his lungs. He clutched his chest and hacked, almost to the point of spitting blood. He had forgotten how to breathe.

In, out. In, out. Again. In, out. In, out. It's a rhythm, follow the rhythm. Let instinctive reflex take over from here.

Once his chest was clear, and his mind was uncomfortably empty, Lloyd scanned his surroundings. His voice came out weak and hoarse. "M-Morro?"

Hovering just above the water's surface was an apparition. It was green, it was quivering, it was dead.

Lloyd thrusted himself towards it. "Morro!" He didn't give much thought to how strange it felt to speak with his own mouth and throat again, or to control his own limbs.

The apparition pulsed and throbbed and moaned in agony. Flickering in and out, fading. A small light inside him grew dimmer, dimmer, dimmer.

During their time together Morro had almost forgotten what HIS body looked like, as non-corporeal as it was. It was small, smooth, and more translucent than he remembered.

As he floated there, he curled inward into himself. The more he flickered, the more he sunk closer and closer to the water.

Lloyd reached his arms under his friend. It was hard to hold him since he was both tangible and intangible at the same time.

He never realized, or never had the chance to realize, how fragile Morro was. He always seemed like a big, buff police officer that had an uncharacteristic but justified fear of water. The rough-around-the-edges kind of guy that didn't (couldn't) cry, who was always there for him.

That still somewhat held true, in that Morro had some decent muscle mass to him and that he was nicked with scars he probably gained in his human years. His hair was dark, long, edgy. So what made him seem so delicate?

Lloyd didn't have much time to think about it, as Morro's half-intangible body fell into Lloyd's arms. "What the hell, Morro?!" Lloyd almost shouted. He didn't, though, and could only feel his chest heave out in heavy whispers, "It'll be okay, it'll be okay."

That all happened so fast. One moment, he was a mere voice in the back of his own mind. The next, he was thrusted into the same position as that night with the Boo Busters. He was on his own again. Morro was in his arms, even though he was slipping from his grasp like an oil-slicked fish.

The sand crusted to his wet feet, but he didn't care. Before Lloyd could set him down on the beach, Morro faded through and landed on his own.

"Morro!" he shrieked. Lloyd fell to his knees. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't. Why was this happening? Why? Why now? And WHAT had just happened?

Not far away was a person. This person was watching as the two friends went through this ordeal. Lloyd paid them no heed, and gave his full attention to his dying-and-dead companion. His BBF.

Lloyd didn't know what to do or what to say. Morro shook and shuddered before him, quivering with every passing flicker. "Kill...me...I left...so...you could be...free..."

Lloyd would have slapped him. "You idiot! Now you'll die!"

"I'm...already...dead...don't...let me possess...possess you...again..."

Morro screamed. The torment swelled from his cries of anguish, echoing in Lloyd's brain. The young boy's mind squirmed, as the screams reminded him of the circus. He swallowed the memories, forced them down hard, and he went back to trying to fix Morro.

The person ran up to the duo. He looked like Lloyd only older and wiser. His knees buckled at the sight. "I-is this Morro?"

Lloyd jerked in surprise, startled by the person's unannounced presence. "Dad?"

The person in question was in fact Lloyd's father, Garmadon. It was close to lunch, and the position of the sun was evident of that, and Garmadon was wondering where his son - and the Ghost possessing his son - had gone. Kai directed him to the beach, and that was where he looked. Here he was on the beach now, having seen Morro leave his son's body and begin to die as a result.

Well, he was technically already dead. This was just a formality.

Garmadon looked at his son, then at Morro, then back at his son again. "What just happened?"

"He-he just stopped possessing me!" Lloyd replied, frantic. "And he was only possessing me in the first place because my body is keeping him alive! We were talking about...oh no."

"What?"

"He was going to kill himself. That's why-" Lloyd shook his head with disbelief. "That's why he went out to the water when he left. He wanted to sink. He wanted to..."

"Die."

"Yeah."

Garmadon let out a stiff, uneasy sigh. "So what do we do?"

"I'm going to let him possess me again, just like I did the first time."

Lloyd assumed position, preparing to lay in the wake of Morro's faded silhouette. Morro had ceased his pleads for death, and now was consumed by pain and painful thoughts.

Garmadon placed a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. He knew full well that time was of the 'essence' (that was a bad pun), but he couldn't help wanting at least a little bit of time with his son. This would be the last time he'd get to see his son and only his son in that body.

"I love you, Lloyd."

"I love you too, Dad."

They hugged, and embraced, and every strong emotion they shared was fully genuine. Lloyd cried into his father's shirt, and Garmadon gripped his son tighter than he meant to.

"I'm sorry, Dad."

"I know. I'll miss you, Lloyd."

"I know."

Without another word between them, Lloyd set himself down in Morro's intangible form. He made sure his position matched Morro's.

Sensation left as quickly as it had come, knocking him into the backseat and pulling Morro to the front.

In the midst of a bright light, two people became one.

 _Hey, buddy. You okay?_

Morro rose, clasping his head. His groggy mind failed to register what had occurred. "Yeah, I think so."

 _You scared me there for a minute._

"What happened?"

 _You tell me._

It all came slamming back into his brain like a freight train. He gasped. Morro was about to get back up and try again, but Garmadon forced him down. "Not again," he insisted with a hiss. "It was stressful as is the first time. Don't put Lloyd - don't put MY SON, or me for that matter - through that kind of stress ever again."

 _Do you want to talk about it?_

"Do you want to talk about it, Morro?" Garmadon asked.

Morro chuckled at how similar father and son were. "Lloyd just asked the same thing."

"All the more reason to answer the question," said the older man. "If you don't want to, that's fine. I just want to know you won't ever do that again. It's reckless and dangerous."

Morro paused. "Sorry. It won't happen again."

 _But why did it happen in the first place?_

The Ghost said nothing.

"What did Lloyd say?"

With a sigh Morro quoted the voice in his head. Garmadon replied with an expectant look.

He didn't want to say anything. He wanted to get up, eat some food, and move on with whatever sad excuse for a life he had. But Lloyd deserved an explanation, and big daddy Garmadon probably wouldn't let him off the hook that easy.

"Well," said Morro. "I keep seeing the interactions between the two of you, and I can't help but know that I'm the one that's ruining your relationship. If not for me, you two would be happy and together. It's an agonizing feeling to knowingly tear a family apart. I've never done much good to anyone, ever. Everything we're dealing with right now is my fault." A shudder. "I really shouldn't be alive."

"But you are."

Morro stayed silent so the man could expound upon what he said.

"You ARE here, and you ARE alive. Doesn't matter if you should or shouldn't. The fact is that you are. And you need to make the most of it."

Morro rubbed his arm and looked away, knees tucked up to his chest. He was wet and sand-coated. It was a generally sad existence.

"I just have one question," he hummed in a soft murmur, so that only his body companion could hear. "Why did you save me, Lloyd? Why didn't you let me just die - you've had plenty of chances, but I don't see any reason for you to ruin your life for my sake."

 _Do I need a reason? Do I need a reason to do good? Can't I do something for the sake of being a good person, no strings attached?_

He didn't have a rebuttal for that. While trying to construct anything even remotely adequate to follow up after something as profound as what Lloyd had just said, something crept on him.

Garmadon and Morro sat there on the beach, just sitting there and recovering from the fiasco they survived. They sat there, with Lloyd sitting with them in spirit, and said nothing.

The man had no clue how to think or feel about any of this. He could still feel his son in his arms, weeping. He could still hear his little boy's voice calling out his name. Morro had, in fact, taken that away from him. The smiling. The laughing. Putting puzzles together on overcast Sunday afternoons and going to the park when the rain let up. Doing normal father-son things.

But if Garmadon was to blame anyone, he was going to blame the horrible Witch that took his son away from him. He was going to blame the godforsaken SERPENTINES that were so intent on meddling in his affairs. But not Morro. He couldn't blame the innocent Ghost for things out of his control.

Garmadon patted Morro's back and said, "Are you feeling better now, Morro?"

He nodded.

Garmadon stood up and held out a hand. "Shall we head back to the others?" he asked.

Morro nodded, and accepted the older man's hand. "Sure."

The rest of the day lacked the vibrant mood most days with the Hydroscales had. It was stained by the inky monochrome truth of what they were made to experience, and nothing would be the same after that.

But maybe it was better that way. Maybe it was good that things were changing.

And...maybe things were changing for the better.

It was only a small sliver of a feeling that caused Morro to think that, but it was a feeling regardless.


	35. Farukonexe Has Stopped Working

**Alrighty kids. This chapter is another one of those chapters. It won't be too sad since the character being killed off is a minor character, but for those of you sensitive to death I have a description at the bottom. Just skip over all the angst and head on to the end of the chapter so you don't miss anything important.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Musiclover435 - Yeah, next chapter should feature the Echo/Pixal timeline. I promise. **

**BedazzleDewdrops - I should be doing my homework too, but here I am writing this instead. Thanks! And I'm surprised it's taken this long for someone to ask that question. I really didn't explain it very well. So Morro's essence was was dying because he was dying, right? So to save him they needed him to piggyback off of a more stable essence. The trick is, the essences have to be similar or else they'll reject each other. Lloyd just so happened to have a similar essence, since both of them used to be human and stuff. So they had Morro possess Lloyd to get his essence to piggyback off of Lloyd's healthier one. Sorry I'm not good at explaining things, but does that answer your question? And yes, Morro didn't want to possess Lloyd anymore but Lloyd forced him to do it because when Morro leaves Lloyd's body the dying process resumes.**

 **TheAmberShadow - I've got a very complex fan-theory that I could probably make into an entire essay about that. What's YOUR theory?**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City - Thanks!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - I sure hope so!**

 **Ebony umbreon - Haha, yeah he certainly will have to answer to Lloyd's dad. Garmadon's in the ProtectLloyd2k17 squad.**

 **Anonymous7 - Glad to hear it, thanks!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

He wished the fire could warm him up, but it didn't. He was just a collection of bones. He was a 'Bone Fairy', although due to his lack of wings he felt that he was undeserving of such a title.

Skylor was on the other side of the fire, carving a seam ripper out of a twig she had found. Farukon sat on a tree branch, watching them from above. Since Jay had arrived at that prison they just escaped from, she had grown increasingly irritable and bizarre. She already had an obscure personality to begin with, but at this point it was just plain excessive.

Something was wrong - Jay could feel it in his bones. After all, bones were all he had left.

Skylor lifted the wooden tool up to the flames, perhaps as an alluded form of gloating. "Alright, it'sss finished."

Jay was jumping for joy. On the inside. For reasons unbeknownst to even him, those emotions didn't translate into a physical reality. So he sat there in a stunned, unblinking (because he couldn't), socially awkward cocktail of glee and confusion. "G-great."

Skylor didn't bother inquiring about his underwhelmed reaction. At this point she had gotten used to how strange her two fellow escapees were.

The Anacondrai-Witch stood up straight and made way for a more seclusive part of the forest.

"Where are you going?" asked Jay.

"Do go unssstitch my esssence and get myssself looking normal."

"How come you can't just do it here?"

"It'sss..." She looked away. "Unssstitching your esssence isss a very personal matter and putsss me in a very vulnerable posssition. I'd like to be alone while performing the operation."

"You'll get watch US do it. Heck, you'll be the one doing it to us! And this is a perfect opportunity to prove we can trust you."

Skylor slouched, but then shuddered at the sensation of Farukon's menacing glare piercing through her. What was up with Farukon?

"Okay, okay, I'll ssstay."

She sat back down, tail coiled around and tossed beneath her carelessly. Skylor closed her eyes and let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Alright."

She pressed the sharp end of the device against her chest. Inhale, hold.

Then...

She drilled it into the space between her ribs, just below her collarbone. Jay cringed, expecting blood to gush forth and for Skylor to scream in agony.

Nothing. The air was empty. Not even the slightest sounds of nature could be heard. Jay was almost more terrified by that than any possible cry his new friend could have let out.

It sounded like a a rubber ball with a hole or perhaps a flute, as pressurized air forced its way through the new hole in her chest. Her essence was literally being sucked out of her body. She grimaced as the pain settled into her skin.

If only she had less crude tools. If Skylor had better equipment, this might not have been so painful.

When the essence finally came out of her chest and into the open, it was a big wad of light ribbons. In all different colours and textures. It sputtered and throbbed and pulsed with varying shades and hues. For the most part, it was beautiful.

Then there was the ugly black thread running down the middle, which tethered together two halves trying so desparately to split ways.

With an exhale of stifled pain, Skylor drew the ripper out. It hooked onto each of the stitches as the essence floated there, doing nothing but waiting to be liberated.

Time was of the 'essence'. She wouldn't last long without having the essence within her, and already thirty seconds had been wasted. Skylor's body quivered and melted as the clock ticked on, but she had to keep going. She had to.

The final stitch was undone. Pring! Tension snapped away and the two essences flung themselves in opposite directions - one going back through the small hole in Skylor's chest, and the other disappearing into the trees to never be seen again.

Now was the hard part: transforming.

She tried to ignore Jay gawking at her in amazement, tried to look away. She tried to hold back the urge to clutch her chest and scream to the sky. No. She was strong. She was brave. She could fight this.

And fight it she did, as the tears glossed over her pupils and tucked themselves into the corners of her eyes. As the scales flaked off her skin. As the glorious Anacondrai tail morphed into a pair of legs. As her fangs forced themselves out in place of teeth. As layers upon layers of snakey flesh lopped off her body and withered to dust at her sides.

Skylor was curled up in the fetal position, hugging her knees and collapsed onto the ground. She shuddered.

Her father loomed above with his friend, promising that 'everything will be alright, sweetie. These wonderful men just want to run some tests, okay?'

She was back at the lab, sitting in her chair, sitting before a computer with complex code sprawled across the screen. 'How is progress?'

'Same as last time you asked.'

'Nothing to report?'

'No. I'll let you know when there is, though. Just stop breathing down my neck, Clouse.'

"Skylor?"

"Skylor?"

"Skylor?!"

She jolted from the clutches of her dream, and blinked a few times. A skeleton face looked at her, bony hands gripping her shoulders. He shook her frantically. "Skylor, wake up!"

"She's dead," hissed Farukon from the trees.

Skylor held up a hand in protest, and rose to a sitting position. "No, no. I'm alive, I think."

Jay breathed out, but being a skeleton it didn't sound natural. More forced than anything. "That's a relief, I was starting to get worried. What happened?"

Without responding the Witch stared down at her hands. They were an innately ethnic complexion, but lack of exposure to the sun had bleached them a pale tan. Locks of hair fell into her face - red, bright red locks.

"Am I..."

"If you aren't then I don't know what just happened," Jay retorted. "You're human! Eh...Witch! You're a Witch again, congrats!"

Farukon bellowed something incoherent but angry.

Jay cupped his hands and turned his head up to his shadowy companion. "Dude! Farukon. What the HELL is your problem tonight?!"

Farukon said nothing, but kept watching. Was that even Farukon he was talking to? Certainly didn't seem like it. She was already distant and standoffish at best, but this was a whole new level of wacko - even for an enigmatic Shifter like Farukon. The feeling that something bad was going to happen swelled inside Jay's cold ribs, and it was sickening.

Trying to turn his attention to more pressing matters Jay asked, "So...can I go next?"

Skylor gave a shallow nod, still hesitant to use her newly restored voice. She was no longer physically obliged to emphasize every 's', but hearing her old voice vibrating through her old vocal cords was like sitting down for tea with someone who had just been resurrected after a lifetime of being dead. One can't be expected to take to that lightly.

But she pretended it was nothing, let it roll off like it was no big deal, and picked up the seam ripper. "This is going to hurt. If I had better supplies and possibly some anesthetic, this wouldn't hurt. But I don't, so it will."

Jay didn't like the sound of that. He had already been through so much pain in the last few days. Even if this last spurt of agony would be the thing to end it all for good, he still shuddered at the thought of going through what he had seen Skylor overcome.

His voice was small and shy when he asked, "C-can Farukon go first?"

"No," said Farukon flatly.

"But why?! Don't you want to be fixed?!"

"Yeah," Skylor agreed. "You did just a moment ago. What's up with..." She trailed off. She knew exactly what was going on. "Are you...unstable?"

A hiss.

"I take that as a yes. I-I can help you," Skylor insisted. "I can fix you. I've fixed others LIKE you." Crap, she just said too much. Oh well. Roll with the punches.

Farukon flinched as Skylor limped over to her, still weak from the operation. "No," she repeated.

"Look. I knew you were nuts, Bird Face," Jay groaned. "But this is pure insanity! And what's this 'unstable' deal? Can someone explain SOMETHING to me plea-"

Skylor muffled him, disregarding any budding questions as to how skeletons are capable of speech in the first place. "Shut up." He nodded in obedience.

Farukon was pressed against the trunk of the tree like an animal. More like the silhouette of an animal, actually. She was a vague figure raveled in darkness and obscurity, a slender but strong shadow that Jay had always assumed was the same Farukon that showed up out of nowhere back at Jamanakai.

Skylor sighed. The breath was handicapped by the still-gaping-but-not-bleeding wound in her chest, but it still communicated her distaste for what she was going to say. "Sometimes, entities like Farukon get too many essences stitched together. The Hybridization procedure is unnatural, so the essences try to reject each other."

"Like how the body tries to reject new organs," Jay offered.

"Right." Skylor tightened her ponytail. "I can only guess how many essences Farukon has been fused to. Judging by her rapid decline into madness anywhere between fifteen and twenty-four is a safe bet."

"TWENTY-FOUR?!"

Farukon coiled inwards at the sudden spike in volume.

Skylor was this close to slapping him. "Quiet," she said. "We need to be careful with Farukon. Destabilization has a negative effect on the mind, possibly even worse than how it impacts the body and essence."

"Does this explain her recent moodiness and grouchy demeanor?"

"Possibly. Probably. The longer and more severe the destabilization, the worse it is. In most cases, the victim quickly becomes irritable-"

"Check."

"Angry-"

"Check."

"Uncharacteristically emotional-"

"Check."

"Expresses suspicious behaviour-"

"Oh boy, big check on that one."

Skylor rolled her eyes. "And often times, animal-like behaviours. They usually refuse treatment and will attack anyone who tries to come near or are perceived as a threat. There may come a moment where she won't even recognize you. With so many essences swirling in her body, she's terrified and confused. Mutated adrenaline is beginning to reduce her to her most animal instincts."

"Funny you should say that, since she IS a Shifter."

Skylor was not amused.

"Just trying to lighten the mood," he defended, arms tossed up in defeat. Deep down, he was cracking jokes for himself. If things got too heavy, he'd have an emotional and mental breakdown. He wouldn't allow that.

"Can we fix her?"

Skylor shrugged. "Doubtful. Most of the time, unstable entities either destabilize into nothing, get fixed in time and can recover with help, or commit suicide the moment their mind clears enough for them to understand their actions."

Jay shook his head. "So the odds are against us, aren't they?"

"If you want to put it that way."

"But there's still time to help her, right?"

Skylor did nothing, frozen in place and acting like she didn't hear the question.

Jay's tone turned impatient and scared. "Right, Skylor?"

Skylor lowered her face, heart swollen with memories of every time she's had to do this before. This was just another victim, just another animal to be...

"Put down," she hummed, remorseful.

"W-what did you say?" Jay sputtered.

"She needs to be put down before she causes anyone harm."

Step, step, step. Her pace was slow as she moved closer to Farukon. Farukon, no longer the quaint Shifter or loving Guardian, narrowed her eyes. They glowed a colour that no one knew the name of, but wasn't unfamiliar. She hissed and scratched at the air, warning Skylor to stay back. Her silhouette trembled and sparked and fizzed, the way a computer program might act up in the presence of a virus.

Skylor knew one spell and one spell only. "Exra. Ikono."

Farukon screamed a blood-curdling scream. Jay tugged at Skylor, trying to keep her back. But his pleas fell on deaf ears. She was determined. She knew what she had to do. For the good of everyone, including Farukon.

Farukon - no, the victim - writhed and wriggled, falling off the branch and morphing into a shaky wolf shape as she - no, IT - landed on the ground. Snarling, growling, shaking. Limbs contorting in utter snafu.

"Livusni. Prarepta. Mek."

Skylor learned many spells from her mother, but there was only one she remembered by heart after her mother's death.

The victim screeched, but it was uneven and terse. Her legs were taut, her eyes wide open and a deeply menacing scarlet. Howl. Her silhouette malfunctioned like a bad computer glitch.

Jay kept crying for her to stop, thinking Skylor to be the cause of the victim's incessant glitching. She wasn't. Her spell didn't do that. Her spell wasn't as nefarious as the unnatural forces causing the victim's instability.

"Kumya. Shekareva. Ibiso. Niboki."

Jay became more and more muffled, and his attempts to hold Skylor back were more and more violent. She felt them less and less the farther she pressed on.

The victim, in a maddened effort to escape, pounced. Over her head, onto Jay. He was pressed against the ground and pinned in place. He was terrified.

He pushed her away. He called for help.

"Farukon, PLEASE," he sobbed. But there were no tears. Skeletons can't cry. "This isn't you."

How would HE know, he asked himself. He didn't know Farukon, or her struggles, or her life. All the two of them ever did was bicker. And before they were shoved into a cage together, they hardly interacted at all.

He should have been there for her. He should have stopped this. He should have been able to prevent this. Logically there was no way he could have, but he SHOULD have. Why didn't he?!

The one that was once Farukon gripped his ribcage in its monstrous, shadowborn claws. Scratching, growling, biting, striking.

He felt none of it, but called for help out of knee-jerk reaction.

Skylor didn't turn around. She stood there, unmoving. The soft breeze whispered through her hair as she spoke aloud the last words of the spell.

Not many people knew it, but she did. "Kaheta!" she shouted at last.

There was a shoom! Then silence. Nothing moved. No one breathed. No one lived or died. Hearts came to full stops. Synapses failed to fire. And yet, a small destructive flame grew in Farukon's - no, the VICTIM, just a VICTIM now - the victim's core.

It was too late for Farukon. By the progression of her instability, she wouldn't have had more than an hour or so before she either killed herself, someone else, or destabilized into the void of death. She would have grown violent, irrational. She would have been a beast, a monster, a horrific Creature that could have done worse damage than what she already did do. Skylor knew this, and it was why she put what used to be Farukon out of its misery.

She had done it countless times before. Too many to count. So why, why oh why, did she suddenly feel guilty? She didn't know Farukon that well. Not even JAY knew her.

Why? Why did Jay pour himself over her crumbling corpse, as it imploded in his arms? Why did he sob dry tears as her powdery remains sifted through his bones? Why did he lash out against her and ask her why she did that to poor Farukon?

Jay refused to forgive her for what she did, even if he knew it was the right thing to do.

His bones were scratched and scarred, as clear evidence to what had happened. It would remind him of her death for the rest of his life. It would go on to be added to his quickly growing list of traumatizing experiences.

His bones were on the verge of breaking, but his heart was already there.

* * *

 **Long chapter short, and by long I mean VERY long, Jay & co. were getting ready to get their essences fixed. So Skylor goes first and fixes her own essence, and is no longer a Hybrid. It turns out that Farukon's been mixed with too many essences, and has become unstable. Jay thinks they can fix her and save her, but as she grows more and more unstable it becomes apparent that it's too late. Much to Jay's grief, Skylor puts Farukon out of her misery. She dies, and Jay gets upset about it. RIP Farukon.**

 **So yeah. You didn't miss too many feels or anything. I'm not great at writing character deaths, as this chapter is clear evidence of. Plus she was a minor character and I don't think she'll be missed.**

 **Seeya around!**

 **~erio**


	36. What a Time to Dissociate

**So Farukon's death definitely had some mixed reviews. Writing character death is something I'm good at planning at, but I haven't written it all that much so it was good practice.**

 **AND! We have reached 200 comments, people. Two freaking hundred. That's insane. I love y'all. What do you guys think we should do to celebrate having gotten this far? Comment your ideas!**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **BedazzleDewDrops - Glad I could help :)**

 **Anonymous7 - Darn fourth wall, trapping us here in the real world. Thanks for not killing me.**

 **TheAmberShadow - An Umbris (Umbrii is plural) is a Creature made of shadows, which is why Jay thought she had been fused with an Umbris essence. As for my theory...*takes in a deep breath and prepares for long explanation* Julien was at the lighthouse, and built Echo Zane as an attempt to replace Zane in his son's absence. But no matter how hard he tried, for so reason all the robots he built didn't have the same sophisticated AI that Zane had. This includes Echo Zane, who back then was just a dysfunctional robot that he kept in the basement. That's why Julien left him at the lighthouse, because there was no purpose in bringing along a robot that doesn't even work. So now you're probably wondering why Echo Zane was suddenly functional in season 6. Allow me to bring to your attention the 'final battle'. When Lloyd fought the Overlord in season 2, the Overlord 'died'. His soul survived though, and inhabited the Borg systems in the form of a virus. The virus is essentially the Overlord's soul. You with me? Now I theorize that Zane had a vision (remember how he used to get those?) that he would have to sacrifice himself to defeat the Overlord, and so he made a backup copy of himself in the Borg systems in the event that he does in fact die. So Zane 2.0 IS actually a replica, as he claimed to be (it also explains why Zane's personality is somewhat different after his reincarnation). So how does this relate to Echo Zane? Let's just say Zane 1.0's soul still did live on, but it inhabited Echo Zane's body in a similar way to how the Overlord's soul inhabited Borg Tower. But that whole spiel caused him to get amnesia AGAIN, and now he just lives in the lighthouse as Echo Zane. Long story short: Echo Zane is the real Zane, just with a different body and no memory. Sorry, that was really long.**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Sick as in messed up or sick as in, it made you sick/was sickening? Either way I am super sorry that the last chapter made you feel that way. I'm going to have another character death in the future, so it would be great if you could give me advice on how to make it so you don't feel like that next time. Sorry!**

 **Ebony umbreon - RIP Farukon, she will be missed.**

 **Jens - I mean she didn't really have much of a presence in the story aside from being Zane's Guardian. And I honestly feel like I could have done better with writing her death. It was rushed when I wrote it, and the rule of thumb for writing angst is that if you don't cry while writing it then your readers won't cry while reading it. But I appreciate your kind words. :) :) After a while, crocodile!**

 **toothlessturtle21 - Yep, farewell to the fiesty flying bird woman.**

 **And..enjoy!**

* * *

Griffin Turner knew that he should have just agreed. If he had, then he wouldn't have been where he was.

Staying firm on his morals was, in fact, moral - but it was getting him nowhere.

What did that kid said before taking off? 'I WILL come back for you. You have my word.'

Yeah, something about that didn't seem too likely. It had already been a day since the attack and Griffin was still chained to a wall in some unknown corner of the world. No food, no water, no way out. Just his luck.

At least he was still alive somehow, and he tried his very hardest to be grateful for that. But it was 'hard'. With fatigue biting on his patience and the damp air rusting his prosthetic legs, 'hard' was a gross understatement.

It wasn't like he had much choice in the matter. When those Serpentine douches busted in like they owned the place, snatching up the Creatures and setting the humans free in exchange for joining the Serpentine gang, Griffin hadn't imagined he would be the only one to say no.

Yet here he was, alone. It was strange, even though he had always been lonely. Ever since the Masters chucked him in this forsaken dugout of a prison cell, he had been so very lonely. But never in all his life had he been lonely AND alone.

All he could do was hope that kid was safe, wherever he had found himself. Griffin thought that of all people, at least the kid would stand by his decision to not join the Serpentines in exchange for freedom. There was a grandiloquent feel to that strange kid in the next cell over, a strong moral compass that guided his now-prosthetic heart. And yet the kid was one of the first to comply to the Serpentines' terms.

His conversations with that kid played in his mind, repeating and repeating until Griffin had them memorized.

 _'Where are we?'_

 _'Masters base. I assume they took you off the streets too?'_

 _'Y-yes. Who are you?'_

 _'The name's Griffin Turner. And you are?'_

 _'People call me Echo.'_

 _'Nice to meet you, Echo.'_

 _'The pleasure is mine, Mr. Turner.'_

Griffin chuckled at the kid's - at Echo's - unintentionally pretentious attitude. Mr. Turner this, Mr. Turner that. No one called him Mr. Turner. Just Griffin, Turner, Griffin Turner, or maybe even Griff if everyone was in a chummy mood. Oddly enough, he actually liked it. Mr. Turner. It had a nice ring to it.

 _'I used to be a runner. That's why the Mechanic took my legs. You see, he takes one part of you that you care most about and then another just for kicks...haha, kicks. You?'_

 _'Are you asking what he took or who I used to be?'_

 _'Eh. Both, either, neither. Doesn't matter to me.'_

 _'It seems he took my heart and replaced it with a mechanical one and though I can't say for certain, I have reason to suspect he took half my face.'_

During their time together, Griffin never did see the kid. They spoke through a small hole in the wall separating their cells. Even so, regardless of time or circumstance, it was one of the most meaningful relationships he had ever formed.

 _'Don't give up hope, Mr. Turner.'_

 _'Why? WHY can't I give up hope? WHY can't I just give up on something of MY choosing, not whatever these sickos want to take from me?! Can I not have the basic human right to at least decide when to give up?! It's OVER, kid. I'm never going to be a runner again, and you're never going to see your girl!'_

Griffin shut his eyes at how painful the kid's brief silence was.

 _'You're right, Mr. Tucker. Maybe we'll never get out of here, maybe you'll never run again or become the fastest man alive like you want to, maybe I'll never see my beloved. But even so, I'd rather die with hope than nothing at all.'_

He both did and didn't understand the wisdom in Echo's words at the same time. Griffin was good at that.

Licking his parched, cracked lips, he pressed his ear against the hole. He tried to tell himself that it was hope that drove him to do this, hope that Echo would still be on the other side with his mechanical heartbeat. In actuality, he didn't know why he did it. He just did.

Griffin had yet to forget the days when he was a highly venerated runner. Coach even told him he could be the fastest person on the planet if he kept up with his training. He showed promise, and everyone knew it.

Then he got hammered a bit too hard one night at the bar, and a group of ill-intended Masters decided to take advantage of his impaired state.

Next thing he knew, he was in the chop shop. With the Mechanic. Stretched to his mental breaking point, then robbed of his legs, given mechanical replacements, and shoved into this cell.

He had no clue how long he had been here, just long enough to call it home.

Muffled voices came from the hall, and he thought himself to be hallucinating again. This wouldn't have been the first time.

"Is anyone here?" asked a voice. "Griffin?"

Definitely hallucinating. A real rescue party wouldn't have known his name.

"What happened here, do you suppose?" asked another voice.

"I thought this was supposed to be the Masters place," said a third. "But all this is, is sad and deserted."

Creaking sounds, doors slamming, footsteps.

It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. He'd be a corpse before anyone found him. No one would come sooner than the all-too-near dawning of death looming at the precipice of his shattered mind.

It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.

And yet...he so BADLY wanted it to be. So against all logic, he called out. "Hello?"

The call was weak, raspy, and sick. He spoke with dry words, just as drained of all hope as the rest of him.

"Did you hear that?" asked one voice to another.

"I think so, maybe. I think it came from in there. Let's check it out."

Fwoom! Something pressed itself against the door. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Who's there?" Griffin found himself asking. Stupid Griffin. If he wasn't chained to a wall he would have slapped himself for being so stupid. Why respond to a hallucination? It wasn't REAL, dumb-butt.

"My name is Neuro Della-Nova," said the voice. "We're going to get you out, okay sir?"

Neuro? Okay, his mind was DEFINITELY playing some cruel jokes on him now. Why would Neuro be here of all places?

There was light, and it filled up Griffin's thirsty pupils until they overflowed. His eyes constricted as he squinted to get a better look.

There was no greater beauty than the ethereal perfection of the rescuers. Standing tall above his malnourished, huddled half-corpse, they strutted up to him as a pack.

Four in total - one was metal and dressed in black. One looked familiar, though in his frail heart he knew he had never seen her before. The fourth was decked out in steel armour and had thick black facial hair. Another, the one at the front of the troop, was the face of a friend. One with grey and white hair, with monochrome clothes, with lively but calm eyes. Neuro? No, it couldn't be. It wasn't possible.

The fake Neuro took a step back in shock. Still a hallucination, Griffin told himself. "G-Griffin?"

Just a hallucination. Just a hallucination. Just a hallucination.

The hallucination's cold gloved hands held onto Griffin's arms. "Is that you, Griffin?"

Griffin couldn't respond, as much as he wanted to.

"Are you alright?"

No words, though in his mind Griffin shouted a variety of answers to the question. Perhaps it was shock that paralyzed him, or another messed-up element to this dream of his.

The robot frowned. "Who is this?"

"Remember that cousin I was telling you all about? This is him."

"Karlof imagined he'd be...eh, uh, stronger."

"He's been in prison for who knows how long," the Neuro hallucination retorted. "Of course he's going to be weak. Can you stand, Griffin?"

Griffin let out a quiet, "No." He gestured to his chains.

"Karloff, can you-"

"Already on it," said the black-bearded man in his thick accent.

The man came over to him and grabbed the chains. His hands were big, burly, and hairy, most probably bigger than Griffin's face.

In a moment, they fell to the floor. Now all that remained were the rigid cuffs at his wrists and ankles. Still a hallucination. There was no way this was real. It was always fake when the rescue parties came in, or when Echo came in, or when someone swooped in to save him. It was always fake, every single time. And it was fake now.

"Who are you people?" Griffin mustered the strength to ask.

"My name is Pixal," said the girl. Ah. So that was where he knew her from. His mind had conjured up all of what Echo said about her and turned it into an image.

"Cryptor," the robot huffed.

"Karlof," said the metal-clad man who helped him onto his feet. His knees wobbled and shook, causing him to collapse into Neuro's (not real) arms.

Neuro adjusted their positions so that Griffin was using Neuro as a crutch.

The robot, Cryptor, spoke up with monotone impatience. "What happened?"

Neuro shot him a look. "Can't you see he's-"

"I can see he is the only person left in this whole facility," Cryptor argued. "And I want to know why."

"Let him REST, why won't you," Neuro scoffed. "Let's get him back to civilization, feed him, give him some clothes, THEN we can ask him questions."

"We can bring in an android team to look for clues while we wait," Pixal offered.

"MORE androids?" Karlof shook his head. "Those metal men give Karlof the creeps."

"I am right here you know," Cryptor snapped.

"Your point?"

Griffin laughed a bit at their interactions. It was so painfully obvious that these four hallucinations didn't get along, and that they were hallucinations, but he at least allowed himself to enjoy the - albeit artificial - moment.

Neuro was pleased by the sight of his cousin smiling. It had been so long since the last time he saw his cousin actually happy. It had been so long since that night at the bar. Griffin had gotten second place in a race that day. He was mad, despite Neuro insisting that second place was still a good thing. So he went to the bar to drown his sorrows in alcohol, something Neuro had never seen him do. Griffin drunkenly offended him, and he stormed off.

He would never forgive himself for not staying around a little longer, for putting up with his cousin just long enough to get him home safely and keep him from getting kidnapped. But now that Griffin was safe once more, perhaps he could make an effort to redeem himself.

Griffin Turner saw all of the emotions behind Neuro's dark brown eyes, all the thoughts swirling in that smart head of his. But as real as it all felt, he knew he'd only wake up. He knew that any minute he would jolt back into the world of the living, and he would continue to sit in that cell until death came by.

These wonderful constructs of his imagination took him down the long corridors of the empty base, where Masters used to walk to and fro. The place was in utter chaos, having been ransacked by the Serpentines some time ago.

He was going to wake up, he knew he would wake up.

Neuro led him out the front door and into a world he knew was fake, because it was only this beautiful in his dreams. Karlof opened the back of a black van and Griffin stumbled inside. Cryptor took the front wheel and everyone else sat there and watched him.

He huddled in a red blanket they provided for him, everyone wanting to ask him questions but no one actually having the guts to do so.

 _'What the heck are you doing, man?!'_

 _'I'm escaping, Mr. Turner. I advise you do the same.'_

 _'No, you're agreeing to work with the Serpentines! That's bad!'_

 _'I understand the consequences, but don't worry. I plan on leaving them the moment their backs are turned. I WILL come back for you. You have my word.'_

Griffin's eyes drooped heavy, but through a crack in his eyelids he could still see the worried look of his cousin.

He knew this would all be over soon, but perhaps he could have just this one moment of relief from the darkness and despair of his cell.

"What'd I miss?" he asked, trying to stay in character with who he was before the Masters broke him.

Neuro smiled through his eyes. "Just a lot of fussing over your whereabouts. It was an awful lot of doom and gloom, you wouldn't have enjoyed it."

He chuckled breathily, and tossed his head back. "Glad I missed it."

Griffin stretched out his mechanical legs, not caring that everyone could see them. He was very well going to take full advantage of his new freedom to move as he pleased, even if it wasn't real.

He knew he was going to wake up any minute, so Griffin tried not to take a single second of this dream for granted. Any minute he would blink, and Neuro and Karlof and Cryptor and Pixal would be gone. He knew these wonderful hallucinations would vanish, but he didn't know quite when, and that honestly terrified him because they felt far too real for him to want them to leave.

To Griffin's delight, he didn't wake up.


	37. The Beach is a Great Place to Get Advice

**Long time no see, eh readers? Yeah, I'm sorry. Driver's Ed and taking a college class - while still in high school, mind you - have both taken over my life, giving me exactly two days every week where I'm free. I should be doing homework right now, but not writing physically hurts and I haven't done any creative writing since the Friday. I've also been trying to write a fanfic for a different fandom, but I'm having a lot of trouble with it. Maybe I should just stick to Ninjago...**

 **Seriously though. Comment on what you guys think we should do to celebrate reaching 200 comments. We're also approaching 40 chapters here in a bit (I know, right?!).**

 **In other news, I probably should do a disclaimer. For starters, I don't own Ninjago. And the Hydroscales/Sakura both are the property of LegoTerraWarrior, as I've said before. They have a more accurate interpretation, so if you're interested in the concept then go check out some of their work. And as requested by LTW, this chapter includes the song _How Far I'll Go_ from the movie "Moana". So yeah. All I own is the plot. One day though...**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Ebony umbreon - One of your predictions is spot on, but I won't tell you which! Haha**

 **TheAmberShadow - Yeah, I've discovered I have to wait 24 hours between chapters for it to show up as updated. Hopefully I can avoid this from happening in the future. You theory involving the FSM may be proven right, as it's come to light that Season 8 will involve FSM origins and stuff. Neat-o, right? Dareth would be placed in the Constrictai, because he likes brown and brown is another colour within the Constrictai colour scheme. I'm not sure about Echo/Zane, though. I'll figure that out later.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

The wind blew, the salty breaths of the ocean blowing through her.

 _"I've been standing at the edge of the water_

 _Long as I can remember, never really knowing why_

 _I wish I could be the perfect daughter_

 _But I come back to the water, no matter how hard I try"_

A smile tugged at her Hydroscale mouth, eyes shut and face tilted to the glittering rays of the sky. She was alone, finally, to sing and dance and shout and scream as she pleased.

 _"Every turn I take, every trail I track_

 _Every path I make, every road leads back_

 _To the place I know where I cannot go_

 _Where I long to be..."_

She dramatically leaped onto a jagged rock, perched atop it as its queen. The queen of this whole beach, she'd even wager, as long as no one came to interrupt her or her song.

 _"See the line where the sky meets the see? It calls me..._

 _And no one kno-ows, how far it go-oes_

 _If the wind in my sail on the sea stays be-hind me..._

 _One day I'll kno-ow_

 _If I go there's just no telling how far I'll go"_

But she did know. She had been there, she had seen the mainland, and now she was back. She knew full well her own capability as an explorer and adventurer now.

 _"I know everybody on this island_

 _Seems so happy on this island_

 _Everything is by design_

 _I know everybody on this island_

 _As a role on this island_

 _So maybe I can roll with mine"_

Her face sunk a bit at the thought of her own prestigious but unfavourable position amongst her people (unfavourable to her, at least), but didn't let that halt her joyous skipping.

 _"I can lead with pride, I can make us strong_

 _I'll be satisfied if I play along_

 _But the voice inside sings a different song_

 _What is wrong with me?"_

As scary as it was to be kidnapped and taken to an unknown location, mutated, and be forced to escape from an unfamiliar world...it was the most pleasant experience of her life. She knew it was wrong for her to want to endure that hardship again - it was hardship, after all - but she so badly wanted -

"Absolutely nothing," blurted a voice.

She froze in place, stopping her dancing and singing in surprise and fear. Who said that?

Two weathered eyes stared at her, either void of emotion or possessing an impressive poker face. Hands shriveled with age stroked the tattered locks of their white beard, which trailed far past their face.

His old - and ill-fitting - Serpentine garb had been replaced with a white robe, given to him by her people as a gift. He was one of their human allies, and he was playing a major role in the planning phase of Operation: Coral Dagger. For that, the Hydroscales were very grateful.

Once she saw him, she relaxed. "Oh. It's just you, Wu. You startled me there! How are you doing today, sir?"

Wu's heart twinged with grief at the word 'sir'. Though it was nice of her to be so polite, being called 'sir' made him feel worlds older than he actually was...technically, not physically. But she didn't know that, so he allowed it to slide. One must pick their battles wisely. "I'm doing well. Thank you, Sakura. But I am not here for idle chat. You are -"

"I'm needed in the War Room," Sakura said with a sigh and a slouch. "Yes, I know." She shuddered at the thought of that small shack of a place, and the impromptu rush to construct it in the presence of new invaders. Since returning from her adventures, it had been refurbished from the poor excuse for a 'room' that it once was. In her absence it had been adorned with chairs, maps, figurines, and the sort of things one needs for creating complex battle strategies. The Hydroscales were pretty isolated out there in the middle of the ocean, to the extent that 'war' hardly even had a presence in their language. But with the coming of these so-called Serpentines, they had quickly familiarized themselves with things like battles and bloodshed.

"In there it is all hands on deck," Wu added. "And yours are the only ones missing right now."

"So you've come to collect me." She broke her normally peppy attitude to sit in the sand and mope over her options. "Great."

Wu supported himself on his stick-turned-cane as he got down on his knees. The two of them sat there and watched the crashing of the waves. The push, the pull, the swirling of tides against the azure horizon. "You are troubled."

Sakura let out a breath as salty as the air. "Yeah."

"Would you like to get it off your chest?"

"As if you'd understand," she said.

"Do I need to?"

"No offense, Wu, but you need to understand my problems to give me good advice. That's kinda how it works."

His eyebrows arched. "Who said I wanted to give you advice? I merely want to sit and listen to your problems."

Sakura was taken aback. No one had every just wanted to listen and NOT give their two cents. Though skeptical, she wasn't going to let such a rare opportunity pass.

She prolonged her next exhale, perhaps putting off the time she had to start her explanation. "I know I'm the heir, the princess, whatever you want to call it."

Wu remained silent, his eyes telling nothing of his thoughts. This troubled her. She took pride in her ability to read people, but he remained unreadable. Perhaps he did it on purpose. She'd have to entertain that idea later.

"I'm not going to back down from my duties and responsibilities because they're mine," Sakura said. "But I...oh man, I must sound like a huge cliche don't I?"

Wu said nothing, made a gesture telling her to continue.

Okay. "When I was kidnapped and taken and...tortured, to some level...I was actually filled with a strange feeling. I didn't know what it was, until I finally stepped foot back on Melody Island and realized what it was. It was love. Love for adventure, for the thrill of the unknown, for trudging waist-deep in a mysterious world ripe for the exploring."

Wu stifled his breaths and really movement altogether, to the point that she half-thought he'd died then and there. But his chest expanded ever-so-slightly, and that was the assurance she needed to know she didn't have a funeral to plan.

Sakura shifted her weight, and didn't take her eyes off the sparkling waters beyond. "I loved it. Can you imagine? I actually loved all I went through. And now I want to go back. But my people need me. I love my home and my people and this beautiful island but..."

"You love adventure just as much," Wu finally stated, voice hollow and tone flat.

"Y-yeah..." The two of them sat there, not sharing a word between them. The sand was hot beneath them, and the air was cool above them. Wu and Sakura melted between these two extremes, like how the sea and sky merged into a calm horizon.

"Well, that's what's going on with me!" She rose into an upright position with a smile brighter than the afternoon sun, offering to help him up with an outstretched hand.

Wu smirked knowingly, but got up on his own. "I see. Thank you for sharing." He dusted himself off, and she did too, and they both wordlessly headed off to the War Room.

They would have gotten there, if not for the strange brown dot now growing closer and closer.

A boat?

It was a small one, not at all at the intimidating caliber of the Serpentine ships. It had a vibrant variety of people within - a Fairy, a Golem, and four humans.

One human in particular was especially familiar, and her eyes sparked with glee at the sight of him. "He's here!" she chirped.

"Who's here, Sakura?"

"He lives in a lighthouse not far from here," she hurried, jumping with uncontainable joy over the boat's arrival. "He comes by every so often to get food and basic supplies for his solitary life, and in exchange he builds us little machines and devices. And tells us stories! He's actually a good friend of mine, I think you'll like him too!"

The boat came closer, with Sakura racing back to the village to inform the others that (arguably) everyone's favourite human was here once again.

Wu strained his old eyes to see who the others were. His heart grew heavy - a happy heavy - at the realization.

Nya fluttered above with her mismatch wings. Cole rowed with his big buff Golem arms. He knew not the identities of the humans, but the fact that two of his nephew's friends were there -and safe, no less - put him at ease.

Though he didn't know where the rest of the Creatures from his sanctuary were, to see just a few of them was better than none.


	38. Here's a Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares

**I don't think I have any pre-chapter commentary today, business as usual.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Ebony umbreon - We may never knooooow...**

 **TheAmberShadow - Eh, I have absolutely no clue. I've heard arguments saying they do and don't have a mother, and both seem valid to me. We'll have to wait and see. RHYMES! I LOVE RHYMES! The fandom is called Detective Conan (also known as Case Closed). I've also been thinking about writing for Danny Phantom. But I dunno. Can't seem to get the ideas in my head into words. And thank you for calling me smart :)**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Thanks!**

 **BedazzleDewDrops - I'll take a Q &A into consideration. Thanks! **

**Anonymous7 - Again, I gotta give the credit to LTW. They requested that Sakura sing it, and so it happened. I don't know where this story would be if not for that creative genius. Hah! I WISH I could get a vacation. Summer's coming up, though, so at least we have that right?**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Dreams were strange, he quickly discovered. If he weren't sleeping while having them, he'd sooner believe them to be bizarro acid trips than 'dreams'.

They say dreams are one's subconscious reaching out. At this point it was safe to conclude that his subconscious was freaking messed up.

Clasping his head, he groaned. The floor was cold, even with the added padding of the futon. The sensation of ice crawling under his skin was both intimidating and endearing. Probably because he used to be MADE of ice.

Perhaps some tea would do him good, or a nice cold glass of water.

He rubbed his eyes and turned on a light as he made way for the sink. It had a new look to it, which starkly contrasted the aged metal of the rest of the house. It was shiny, and the paint was clean. A small film of dust coated it, but that was all. Maybe it had been added later on, probably more recently.

The whole house, in fact, swelled with that new-meets-old vibe in a way that distinctly set him on edge. Or maybe it was the fact that everywhere he looked he was stabbed in his now mechanical heart with a tingly de ja vu feeling. He couldn't tell for sure.

He tried to force the dream out of him with a few light slaps to the face, also serving as a method of waking him up. His hand reached out and snatched a coffee mug on the cupboard shelf, and brought it down to the faucet.

For a house disguised as a tree, it was pretty well-furnished. The main area was a small study, with a desk and a few time-bitten pages tucked away. This was where he kept his futon. But a closer look revealed walls lined with doors that led to an impressive network of rooms and crevices. The only ones that didn't look recently added on were the bathroom and the kitchen, but even then those rooms seemed newly refurbished.

He placed the watery mug in the microwave and let it heat up, trying not to question how he knew how to use a microwave in the first place. He had learned to stop questioning these things over time.

One thing he couldn't help but contemplate, however, was the dream.

More specifically, the numbers within that dream.

921-657-9008

921-657-9008

921-657-9008

Again and again, pounding in his brain to point of almost bursting through the robotic flesh consuming half of his face.

He wanted to banish the numbers from his mind. But he NEEDED to know what they meant. Anything suspicious could be something to help him realize his past (or his future, even, considering he used to be a Visionayr). This sequence of numbers didn't feel like some run-of-the-mill acid trip illusion. It felt real, it dug to his cyborg core and told him to...

What was it telling him to do?

Whenever his eye closed - the robot one didn't have eyelids and always stayed open - he could see it. He could see a shaky hand pressing buttons to correspond with the numbers repeating in his mind.

The microwave beeped, and he ran to hush it, and he took his drink. He drank it, he thought about his options, and he acted upon what he felt was the best possible decision.

He let his legs and arms slip into autopilot, using all his mental power to keep a steady grip on those numbers.

921-657-9008

921-657-9008

Repeating it under his breath, repeating it and repeating it until they morphed into meaningless syllables that only served to remind him of the sharp images from his dream.

The streets in Jamanakai were eerily quiet, dark, and damp. A street light hung low over a red pay phone, with its paint chipped off and a less than desirable finish. The buttons were at the point of popping off, and one was well on its way.

The coins in his hand grew heavy with each step. He couldn't. He didn't even know who he was calling, if it was a real number, if anyone would pick up. But dangit, he'd gone through all the trouble of getting dressed and going out into the frigid night to the nearest pay phone.

"It's too late to turn back," he assured himself as he dialed up the number.

921-657-9008

It really wasn't too late, but he told himself that to keep him from chickening out.

The dial tone. Now it really WAS to late.

The person on the other end of the line picked up the phone, just a bit too early for him to have time to prepare emotionally.

"Hello? Who is this?" The voice was static-y but elegant.

Now or never, Echo. "Um yes," he stammered. "Apologies for calling so late in the evening. I'm afraid I don't possess a logical excuse but...I saw your phone number in a dream I had and thought it meant something."

"A dream."

"Yes, a dream. I'm sorry, ma'am, shall I just hang up and stop troubling you?"

A snicker. "It is fine, really. I was just surprised, since I just got this phone a few hours ago. What is your name?"

Of course she had to ask that. "People call me Echo, though my actually name is something even I do not yet know. And you are...?"

A pause. Did he say something wrong?

"Echo?"

"Do I know you?"

Another giggle, this one happier. "I-it is ME, Pixal."

"PIXAL?!" His heart skipped a beat. What were the odds?! But she...she was gone! How? "You're alright!"

"Yes." Her voice softened, and she continued. "What happened to you?"

"I could ask the same of you. You were gone, and I was worried, and I searched everywhere and..." His mouth ran faster than his mind, which is saying something because his mind was speeding down his mental highway.

"Yes. Of course. You probably want to know about that."

Her tone was disappointed and uneasy. She had a secret to keep. He had no clue how he knew that, but he knew that there was a secret she was keeping from him that she wasn't keen on sharing. He deserved to know. His face and heart had been taken from him because of this secret. But...

"You don't have to tell me, Pixal, if you do not want to. Only when you feel comfortable opening up on your own."

"Thank you, Echo. What happened to YOU, though?"

He ran his fingers through his tousled pale hair with a reminiscent smirk. "I searched for you, and was kidnapped by the Masters. I should have waited until sunrise to go out - I know as well as anyone that the night is when the Masters prowl - but I wasn't in my right mind, I suppose."

She knew all this, she had figured it out. She wanted to scream at him through the phone all that she had gone through just to track him down, and how horribly sorry she was to have caused this. But she pursed her lips and allowed him to finish.

"They...they took my heart, Pixal," he said. "They gave me a mechanical one, and replaced half of my face with machines."

"That is awful," she murmured.

"And..." A frightful, traumatized pause. He was alright now, he was with Pixal. He was safe. "...the Serpentines raided the base. They took all the Creatures, probably to poach them, and told all the human prisoners that they'd set us free if we agreed to work with him."

Yes, yes, this was all very familiar. She knew all this. Griffin told her everything about the raid after a good day or so of food, rest, and hospital care.

"So are you with the Serpentines now, Echo?"

He shook his head on instinct, then added on with a hollow "Not anymore. I went in with the Anacondrai team, and escaped as soon as I could." He skillfully neglected to tell her that he didn't join the Anacondrais because purple was his favourite colour, but because purple reminded him of her. She had her secret, and he had his. And his secret was that he was in love with her.

Pixal was better acquainted with the Anacondrai than she would have liked. "So you...did you get tattooed?"

"No, no," he said. "I slipped away to a nearby town before the initiation process could begin. The moment they turned the other way, I made my escape. Now I'm here, trying to raise enough funds to buy the bus fare needed to return home."

"Do not worry," she promised. "Tell me where you are, and I will come to you as soon as I can."

So Echo told her where he was, but asked her to stay on the phone with him for just a while longer.

He stood there, leaning against the pay phone long after his knees buckled and gave way. The wobbling of his thighs were numbed by the overwhelming ecstasy of speaking with Pixal once again.

They sat there, laughing and talking about all that came to mind, until the sky was bright and all of Echo's quarters had been spent.


	39. Isn't This Just Swell?

**Okay y'all, this is how our celebratory 40th chapter's gonna turn out:**

 **Is there something you've wanted to say or do to one of the characters in this story? Go on right ahead! For chapter 40, I will be temporarily taking down the fourth wall and allowing you readers to interact with the characters. None of this will have any canon effect on the story itself, just some fun side-chapter. Kinda like a fanfiction within a fanfiction. In the comments post what you want to see yourself do in chapter 40, and perhaps a little bit of info about yourself that I might need to temporarily write you in. Just a little gift from me to you, to say thank you for supporting me through and through.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Ninalb - That was the goal :) Thanks.**

 **Jens - Yeah, sorry about that. Your welcome, and thanks!**

 **Ebony umbreon - I was worried that last chapter went a little too overboard with the exposition. Don't worry, the fluff's gonna be over real soon.**

 **TheAmberShadow - *sighs* Yeah, it's a small and obscure fandom. It's a miracle there's even fanfiction for it. I would totally recommend it, though, if you're into murder mystery shows. That's not all that far-fetched of a theory, considering that this is NINJAGO we're talking about. Weird things happen. Aww, thanks. The tattoos are not magical, sorry :(**

 **Loki God of Evil - When there's trouble you know who to call...Teen Titans! From their tower they can see it all...Teen Titans! ...Sorry, that comment got me all nostalgic.**

 **BedazzleDewDrops - While writing that chapter I was wondering the exact same thing, and half-expected someone from the comments to say 'Hey, that's MY phone number!' Thank God that didn't happen.**

 **And..enjoy!**

* * *

"This is going to hurt," she promised.

"I don't doubt it."

"You still want to do this?"

He gave a nervous chuckle. "No pain, no gain - right?"

She rolled her eyes and prepped the seam ripper.

"So since you can't just pierce my chest like you did with yours since I don't, uh..." Jay paused. "...have flesh, how are you going to-"

Skylor didn't let him finish his sentence before - smash! Crash!

Fragments of bone flew every which way, and left a gaping hole in their wake.

The jagged rock dropped from her hand, landing on the ground by Skylor's feet with a thud. She gripped the seam ripper in her other hand and got on her knees.

Jay flinched, but there was no sensation that came from the wound. Just a hole in his forehead, right above his eyes. Beyond was darkness, proving quite literally that Jay had no brain.

"What was that?!"

"Gotta get inside you somehow," Skylor retorted. She reached the seam ripper in through the hole, eyes closed and focused.

Jay frowned, which was hard to do without lips. This wasn't helping him regain trust in his Witch companion. He verbalized this concern.

"Do you honestly think I care about that?"

"You should. I mean-"

"Stop talking. You're about to be in a whole lot of hurt."

"You said that last time, but aaaAAAAAAH!"

Small strands of plasma-like fibres danced out through the hollow tube part of the seam ripper, spewing into the open air and raveling themselves into a pulsing orb of radiant light. Green, blue, purple, red. Every colour known to man was there, and even a few that weren't yet known.

He started shaking, bones clattering as he did. It was as if all his atoms were trying to pull apart and fly off in every direction, like a strong magnet that had been rooted in his gut and didn't know was there had suddenly disintegrated into nothing.

The void that had taken place of his essence seeped into his nonexistent veins. It reached the ends and corners and folds of his body. It encroached upon the fluttering soul that he couldn't see, but could suddenly feel in a way that transcended any sensation he'd ever come to know.

It was agonizing, but also beautiful. As she sliced away at the black stitches holding his essence to that other, less pleasant one, Jay's empty mind drifted closer and closer to the spirit flowing through him until it and him were one.

Though the truth of the universe exposed itself to him so plainly in his fractured mind, it also invaded him and struck him with a disease of the soul. He shouldn't have felt like his skin was melting again, because he no longer had skin. He shouldn't have felt his heart beating up into his throat, because he neither had a heart nor a throat. He shouldn't have felt the contents of his skull flooding out the new opening, because skeletons couldn't feel. But he could. And he felt like hell had unleashed its wrath by shoving his flaming organs back into his body and letting them simmer there until he was nothing but dust.

Jay didn't know when it had happened, but somewhere along the lines his essence swirled back into his body and pulled him far away from that painful wholeness with his soul. The answers to life and love faded from his memory, and he soon forgot having ever transcended in the first place.

Pulled to the forefront of his vision were graves. THEIR graves.

 _A man set his hand on Jay's shoulder. 'Their dying wish was for you to go to the Two Brothers Safe Haven in the event that they...perish.'_

 _Jay said nothing, just stood there and watched the dirt. Dirt and countless grieving bouquets were the only things keeping him from seeing the decomposing bodies just beneath._

 _The man left Jay's presence saying, 'I'll be back at your house when you're ready, to help you pack your things. We leave for the sanctuary tomorrow.'_

 _As soon as he departed, Jay collapsed to his knees without caring about how the ground would ruin his suit. He pulled a handful of seeds from his pocket and buried them in the space between the headstones._

 _'You guys always wanted me to grow flowers at your graves.'_

 _So he sat there with his unborn daffodils, sitting between two corpses, watering the flowers with his eyes._

Hands firmly held his shoulders, rattling him out of his delusions. "Jay! Jay! Jay!"

The Fairy named Jay sputtered to life, getting up from an upright position and ignoring the dull pain seated in the back of his mind.

"It can leave you with some nasty hallucinations," said Skylor. Unlike the man and the graves and the flowers, she actually lived outside of his memories.

"D-Did it work?" Jay asked, still quivering but trying to act tough.

"Technically." Skylor's face sunk.

"But what?"

He didn't need an answer to recognize the familiar wind chime sound coming from his ribs.

"I thought this was going to work!"

Skylor held up her hands in defense. "It did, Jay. Technically, it did."

"Look at me! Does it LOOK like it worked, genius?!"

"You only have a Fairy essence, as I promised you would," Skylor said, voice hollow. "I successfully got rid of your Skulkin essence."

"Care to explain why I'm still a SKELETON then?"

She cringed at the venom in his words, but tried hard to keep her composure. "When your essence was stitched to the Skulkin one, it somehow must have mutated your original Fairy essence. This isn't completely unheard of, though it is a rare side effect of splitting fused essences. I've seen it before, I call it transference. The two essences were stuck together in a way that they exchanged qualities - kind of like when certain kinds of organisms share DNA. Put in Layman's terms: you're now 100% Fairy, but you're now a BONE Fairy."

Jay cursed through his grinding teeth, loud enough to be heard by the dead beneath his feet. "This is - this is just swell. Isn't it? I go through all that pain and torment, and what? Still a freaking skeleton?! All that was for NOTHING?!"

Skylor had nothing to say. It was better to let him vent.

Jay vented for a good half hour, alternating between fits of screaming and pretending to cry (because he couldn't do it for real). She listened to it all, with crossed legs and somber eyes.

When it was over, he stopped his pacing and sat across the extinguished fire pit from Skylor.

"What do we do now?"

There was no answer. No answer was needed.

The two stayed there and allowed the remorseful silence to consume them until not much was left but guilt and fear for the future.


	40. This Chapter Isn't Canon, FYI

**IF YOU NEVER READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE, READ THIS ONE!**

 **IMPORTANT: This chapter is a breaking-the-fourth-wall celebratory chapter, in which readers could request to interact with the characters temporarily. It won't have any relevance to the actual plot of Veni Vidi Vici. So fanfiction within a fanficiton. Most of you won't care since it isn't plot-related, nor does it pertain to many people aside from tootlessturtle21, Ebony umbreon, and Cece. Those are the three that sent in requests.**

 **BUT! Make sure to read the last sentence, if nothing else. It's kinda a big deal. I won't spoil it for you... :)**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

...

What just happened? That last thing he remembered was a fuzzy sensation in his chest, which wasn't a part of him he was supposed to be able to feel, and then darkness.

Rubbing his eyes and letting out a groggy moan, he rose from...a bed? HIS bed? In HIS room? What was going on here? Didn't the sanctuary burn down?

He shuddered at the mental image brought on by that fateful night. Rising to his feet, he allowed himself to slip into pleasant nostalgia. He lightly fingered the edges of every drawing tacked to his wall, every textbook on his dresser, the small container of pain killers on his vanity, and the familiar roughness of his favourite black hoodie as it clothed his upper half.

Then he realized: where was Morro?!

He dashed into the kitchen. Still intact. No sign of flames, no sign of the Serpentine raid.

Open the freezer.

"What the-"

Zane was gone, still. So not EVERYTHING had been restored to how it once was. Still, all this mystery was more than a cause for concern.

The living room was just as he left it, as was everything else. He placed his hands on his hips with a sigh. "What is going on here?"

* * *

In another part of the sanctuary, magically brought back to its original quality, a small teenage boy woke up.

He had white hair and pale skin, and looked around at the world with grey eyes. He was in a water fountain, though it lacked any water and was bone dry.

"Where am I?"

A hand stretched out to him, and he accepted the gesture. "You're at the Two Brothers Safe Haven," said the owner of the hand. "A Creature sanctuary."

Grey eyes met grey eyes. "Who are you?" asked the boy.

"I have a lot of names," said the girl. She waited for the boy to regain his footing on the flat ground before continuing. "You can call me Turtle."

He stifled a giggle. "Turtle? Odd name."

"Says the boy named ECHO," she countered.

He didn't bother to ask how she knew his name. "Touche. So what are we doing at this place? Do you know?"

Turtle shrugged, and shoved two hands in the pockets of her black pants. "I have an idea, but nothing definitive."

"Do tell, please."

* * *

While Turtle and Echo roamed the deserted sanctuary and Lloyd investigated how he had come back to his house, Pixal and Cryptor found themselves just outside of the sanctuary.

"What is going on?" asked Cryptor as he rose to his feet.

"I have no idea. What is the last thing you recall?"

"Most likely the last thing you recall as well: we were about to get your BOYFRIEND back when - "

"He is NOT my boyfriend," Pixal exclaimed. "Why does everyone hold that misconception? Even Griffin believed it!"

"That's because you love each other." Neither Pixal nor Cryptor said that, and were quite terrified by the presence of a third voice.

Cryptor assumed a defensive fighting stance, and as did Pixal. Perhaps this person could explain how they got here, and where here was. But for now, they had to stay on their guard.

"Relax," said the person. They sashayed into view to reveal the unfamiliar silhouette of a girl with brown hair and brown eyes. Her face had been twitched into a smirk, swollen with the smugness that comes with knowing more than everyone else. "I'm not going to hurt you guys. Not physically, anywho...I DO however intend to wound your pride and dignity over a card game."

Cryptor's red eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"The name's Cece," said the stranger with an apathetic shrug. "Now. Where's Echo?"

Pixal stiffened at the name of her friend.

"Take that as a no," Cece said with a frown. "Oh well. I can work with just the two of you for now."

"What do you want with us?" Cryptor and Pixal asked in unison.

Wordlessly, Cece pulled a deck of cards from her jacket pocket. "Have you heard of Uno?"

* * *

Skales let out a scream, and Pythor tried to hold back a scream of his own. He couldn't give in, this was exactly what their tormentor wanted.

An unshaven man shifted in his own restraints. He knew he was next, in line with a bunch of Serpentines that were all chained together.

The face of the culprit wasn't seen through her cloak and mask, and yet at the same time she was a person no one could UN-see.

"That's what you get for poaching Creatures, you horrible people," said the person they had come to know as 'Ebony Umbreon'. She sent Skales and Pythor back in line.

Now it was Ronin's turn. "What did I do?" he asked, reluctant to get in position as she wanted.

"Remember what you did to Zane? That Visionayr?"

His eyes shook and widened at the realization. "Oh no."

* * *

Lloyd enjoyed the freedom that came with having control over his own body, but was honestly horrified by the fact that it could only mean Morro was dead.

Two people were up ahead, people he didn't recognize. He hid behind a wall and watched them with cynical side-stares.

"That's a very curious theory," said the first.

"I know," said the second. "Probably unbelievable, all things considered, but it's the best thing I can think up. Why else would I be here, in a place that's not even my own world?"

The former's eyes glimmered. "So if you're from a place where my life is a story that you've been reading...can you tell me about my past? Do you know?"

Lloyd's face turned sullen, lips tight. These people might be able to give him answers. But he didn't know if they were hostile or not, or if they were the enemy. Or if they were as ignorant as him.

"I'm not sure Erio would want me to..."

"Who is Erio?"

"The author. She's the one that wrote the story you're in."

"That WE'RE in," the former corrected.

"Right. Although...she DID say that this chapter wouldn't be connected to canon, so I guess it won't hurt."

The former smiled, and Lloyd couldn't help but wonder if he knew this boy.

"Your name used to be Zane Julien," said the latter. "But, as you know, you lost your memory when they made you human."

Wait. ZANE? It could be a trap, it had to be a trap. But what if it wasn't? He'd regret not knowing for the rest of his life.

He emerged from his hiding spot, and only one of the two were surprised by his sudden appearance.

The girl just cocked her head with a soft smile. "Hey, Lloyd. Join the party. I shouldn't be surprised that you're here."

"Who are you?"

"Her name is Turtle," said 'Zane Julien'. "And I assume your name is Lloyd?"

"Y-yes."

Turtle squealed a bit, but managed to for the most part contain herself. "You two used to know each other!"

* * *

Cece slapped a card onto the top of the deck, cackling. "Haha! I win again, losers! I love Uno."

"That is because you always win," Pixal retorted. She rolled her eyes and took the card pile to shuffle it for another round.

Cryptor groaned dejectedly, and let his cards slip out of his hands. "Why are we doing this?"

She bent over to pick up the cards he had dropped and hummed, "Well, because Erio let us enter her story and do whatever we wanted with the characters!"

Cece froze. Pixal froze. Cryptor froze.

"What?" Pixal asked, voice hollowed out by confusion. "Who is Erio? Is she the one that brought us here?"

The foreigner tried and failed to mask her emotions. "Psh, what? Noooo. Who's Erio? Did you hit your head or something, Pix?"

The glares Cece received were dead and unamused.

She rubbed the back of her neck, face sunken with the weight of remorse. Why did she have to let that slip?

While Erio hadn't told them much of anything - in fact Cece could vividly recall being dragged out of her bed by a magical glowing portal without so much as an explanation - she figured that letting in-story characters know that they were in fact characters was a big no-no.

What the hell? Erio didn't have the decency to tell her the rules, so it couldn't possibly be her fault if she did something she wasn't supposed to do. She didn't know, after all.

What Cece really didn't know, however, was that Erio didn't mind. She was expecting - no, hoping - that this sort of confrontation would take place. As the author she was also narrating everything that happened within Cece's mind, and was quite humoured by her thoughts.

"Well, I'm actually from another universe," Cece began.

"Not the strangest thing to happen," Pixal noted.

She chuckled before continuing on. "And in this universe, you're both characters in a fanfiction called 'Veni Vidi Vici' by Erio99."

"Fan..." Pixal murmured.

"...Fiction?" Cryptor let his head fall into his hands. "What is going on with this world?"

Pixal cleared her throat. "If you are saying fanfiction, does that mean we're characters that actually belong to another fanbase?"

"A cartoon," Cece deadpanned. She didn't want this, she just wanted to get back to playing - and winning at - Uno.

Now it was Pixal's turn to moan and face-palm.

A break in the conversation allowed the trio to hear strange, distant noises. Talking, walking, laughing, the snapping of twigs and rustling of leaves. And these sounds were getting closer.

Cece was the only one who didn't tense up at the sounds. Probably a fellow reader fulfilling their desires like she was.

Lo and behold, it was indeed a fellow reader fulfilling their desires like she was.

* * *

"Pixal?!" Echo/Zane rushed up her, and she stretched out her arms to welcome him. His eyes were damp but not yet tearful, and her anxiety was soothed by the sound of his voice.

She clutched him tight and they held one another.

"Let us never part again," she whispered.

"Never," he whispered back.

Cece and Turtle smiled at the scene. Lloyd was a bit confused, but accepting of the fact that Echo/Zane's amnesiac adventures had probably led him to find new friends. It still hurt to see the Visionayr once in his care had grown up and moved on. Lloyd instantly rejected the notion that this feeling was in any way what a parent felt to watch their kids leave for college.

Cryptor mentally gagged, but didn't want to spoil the moment for them. But then he realized that screw it, he didn't really care. "Get a room, lovebirds," he bellowed.

"We are not lovebirds!" Pixal shrieked.

Though Pixal knew full well how Echo/Zane felt about her (and how the feeling was TOTALLY, NOT AT ALL REQUITED, SHE DIDN'T LOVE HIM AT ALL HE WAS JUST A GOOD FRIEND AND THAT WAS THAT), she remained ignorant to his heartbroken expression that seemed to say _we're not?_

Cece was the first person to dare break the moment after Cryptor. She pointed at Turtle and asked, "Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Turtle said.

"You first."

"Turtle. Now you."

"Cece."

Turtle looked away. This was going to be weird if Cece said no... "So are you one of Erio's readers too?"

The latter practically died of joy. She wasn't alone in her plight after all. "Hell yeah! What's your username?"

"Toothlessturtle21. You?"

"Cece."

"I asked for your-"

"I know. My name and my username are one and the same."

"That rhymes," Lloyd chimed.

The three of them laughed a bit.

Lloyd, Echo/Zane, and Turtle joined the circle of Uno players to participate in the game.

Cece continued to win, Echo/Zane and Pixal continued to hold hands (but not because they loved each other or anything), Cryptor continued to be the victim of everyone's +4 cards, and everything was great.

For a time, at least.

* * *

Erio looked on at her computer screen. It had taken her a good week or so to get that chapter out. She sat in her chair, in the study, physically and emotionally exhausted from the mundane of essay-writing and circuit training (God she hated P.E. so much).

She knew that the line break was the end of the breaking-the-fourth-wall chapter she had promised her readers, and that this chapter had no relevance to the plot. The characters would resume their adventures without any recollection of Chapter 40, and the three readers she had kidnapped would return to their homes.

After all the ways she had tortured her readers with less-than-satisfactory writing and plot twists and waiting, Erio knew better than anyone that it was time to start treating her readers better.

And what better way to celebrate 40 chapters and over 200 comments than to give them a hint?

Yes, it would be a small hint. Not very large, not something they could easily figure out unless they looked hard enough. She would give it to them and hope it didn't reveal too much about what was to come in future chapters.

She thought a moment before letting an evil, knowing grin plaster itself onto her face.

Erio needed to only write one sentence. This one, simple sentence would both treat her readers AND make them squirm with anticipation. Yes, it was perfect.

And so she typed in one final sentence:

One character - one of the characters featured in this non-canon chapter - will die.


	41. The Body-Sharing Duo Find Their Destiny

**Wow, it's been forever. Thanks for being patient with me, everyone. Moral of the story: don't, under any circumstances, look your teacher in the eye. Especially if you have a crappy thesis, can't write anything academic to save your life, and are a high school freshman in a FREAKING COLLEGE CLASS. I'm not smart enough for this... Long story short, because of that stupid decision I spent the next week trying to redeem myself from that moment of public humiliation (I was forced to share said crappy thesis with the class). This in turn took up all the time I had for creative writing, and so I had no time to update this story. Super sorry, everyone.**

 **I will not be doing comment reviews this chapter because I'm behind on comment reviews and DEAR GOD THERE ARE TOO MANY!  
**

 **So...enjoy!**

* * *

He was honestly quite glad to see everyone so happy. Everyone was holding each other, everyone was smiling, everything was great.

Nya and Kai had been reunited, and mixed feelings radiated from the both of them. While the two siblings may have been incredibly overprotective of one another - a quality that inhibited their productivity - they also worked together in ways that no one could have predicted. Their cooperation and coordination was simply beautiful, on an astounding level.

While they bickered and spat out witty quips, they still were a formidable force to be reckoned with. Everyone in the War Room acknowledged that.

They had been on Melody Island for just short of three days, and already they'd been welcomed into the fold of the Hydroscale community. These three days had been a peaceful break from adventuring on the high seas. They had been given a place to stay, food to eat, and their arrival and eventual alliance had been celebrated with a lavish banquet.

Cole couldn't imagine it would get any better than this. Though he didn't participate in War Room discussions (he tried hard to be a pacifist and it broke his Golem heart to engage in plotting violence, and also because he was too large to fit through the door), he still found ways to be helpful.

Julien had set up a vendor booth, selling trinkets and stories. This was where Cole found his niche.

When Sakura wasn't orchestrating battle strategies with other Hydroscales, Kai, Nya, Garmadon, Wu, and Lloyd/Morro, she was more often than not visiting the booth. Since she and Julien were close, all the stories he told her came free.

"Tell me the one about the Chosen One," Sakura hummed, leaned against one of the poles holding the booth up.

Julien placed his hands on his hips in mock dismay. "Again? I tell you that EVERY time I come to visit."

Cole looked up from the trinket catalogue. "I haven't heart this story, and I've spent the past three days hearing nothing BUT your stories."

Sakura smirked at her rocky companion. "It's practically a tradition at this point, Julien!"

He slouched in defeat, and took the catalogue from Cole's hands. "Cross that out, we sold that remember?"

"Right." Cole took the catalogue back and did as he was told.

Julien pivoted to see an eager-faced Hydroscale Switch eyeing him, chuckling. "Alright Sakura, you win. It all truly began when my son Zane, his new Guardian Farukon, and I returned back from the trip to the mountains."

Sakura situated herself in a comfortable sitting position, which she stayed in for the duration of the tale. Cole, meanwhile, grew attentive at the sound of Zane's name.

The old tinkerer closed his eyes, relaxed his wrinkled face, and spoke in a reminiscent murmur. "Farukon didn't approve of me keeping my son to myself. She insisted that I let Zane achieve his purpose as a Visionayr."

Before Cole could ask, Sakura blurted out the response, "Visionayrs roam the planet searching for their Chosen One."

Julien applauded her. "It seems you DO learn things from all my stories." Sakura playfully stuck out her tongue at him, and he reciprocated the gesture.

Cole snickered at their antics, but said nothing.

Julien continued without prompt. "I wanted to keep him at home where he belonged, with me. He may have been a Visionayr, but that didn't mean I couldn't still try and give him the childhood he deserved."

Sakura smiled, and Cole wanted to see where this was going.

"So eventually I relented, but as his father I would never let him wander aimlessly with some strange Shifter I barely knew." His breath hitched, he paused, and continued on. "So we went to a psychic to give this Chosen One a name and a face."

Cole leaned against the pole too, but quickly realized that the creaking noises were a result of his mass and weight. He retreated back into an upright position.

"The psychic read his mind, and through a crystal ball she showed us what she saw," Julien said. "Zane's Chosen One is a boy, with blonde hair and a knack for sacrificing himself for the greater good. He's been through quite a lot in his life, more than any child his age should, and it's only supposed to get worse from there. Nonetheless, he's destined for great things."

The Golem was interrupted from asking what the boy was destined for when a group of his friends showed up. Kai and Nya were at it again, arguing over something or other, while Morro/Lloyd walked beside them in general distaste.

"Break's almost over," said Morro. Cole still struggled to adjust to that Ghost puppeteering his friend's mouth, but he had for the most part gotten used to the idea.

"Everyone always needs me in the War Room," Sakura groaned, though she didn't leave her spot. "Lemme at least finish this story!"

Kai and Nya exchanged glances. "Story?"

"Julien's telling us a story about Zane and his Chosen One," Cole said.

"Hey Cole," Kai waved, and the rock monster gave a small wave back.

Nya shrugged, wings still fluttering. "We might as well hear it while we're here, right?" The two boys she was travelling with didn't have a problem with that, and the three of them sat down to hear Julien's story.

Julien continued once everyone was settled and Cole and Sakura had caught them up to speed. "She showed us this boy's past, his present, and his future - among other things, like how I was going to die. I don't think she intended to let that slip, though."

Kai rose his hand. "So how exactly does this psychic know what she's doing?"

"She transferred Zane's memories and thoughts into a crystal ball, where we could see what he sees," Julien replied. Kai put his hand down. "So as I was saying, then -"

"What was the boy's destiny?" Kai asked again. Sakura shot a menacing glare his way. He was ruining her favourite story with all his interruptions. She contemplated manipulating his mind with a siren song to get him to shut up, but since he was an ally doing that would technically be forbidden.

Julien let out a small but hearty laugh. "Thank you for reminding me, I always forget that part of the story. In the glass ball, we witnessed a horrific monster. It was like a Frankenstein of sorts, stitched up in various places. It consumed everything, even darkness itself. It sent the world into ruin, destroying countless lives and towns. Then the boy came up and confronted it. He was by himself, but not alone. He had died, but was not dead."

"Stop being so cryptic," Kai whined, but Nya stopped him short with a forceful jab to the ribs. Sakura instantly knew then and there that she was going to get along well with Nya.

Now it was Morro's turn to interrupt. "Who was he?"

Julien cocked his head with a knowing smile. "Why, he looked just like you. A bit different, but I could never forget that face."

Morro inquired with the voice in his head for an explanation.

 _I'm just as lost as you are, Morro. Ask him the boy's name._

"What was the boy's name?"

"His name was Lloyd, I think," Julien mused. "The last name begins with a G-A, but for the life of me I can't recall..."

"Garmadon?" Morro asked. His voice was distant and rigid, and everyone was afraid of it - even Lloyd.

"Why yes," Julien said. "How did you know? Is it your name, perhaps? Are you the Chosen One?"

Morro shook his head. "Sort of, but not quite. This body belongs to the Chosen One, but right now I'm possessing it."

Julien was taken aback. "You mean y-you're..."

"A Ghost, yes," Morro echoed. "I was dying, and the real Lloyd let me possess him to save my life. Now I can't leave his body without the process of death resuming where it left off. Is it possible that Lloyd is the Chosen One?"

 _There's no way, no way. Not logical at all, it doesn't make any sense. How could I of all people be -_

"There's no doubt in my mind that he is," Julien chirped.

All eyes were on Morro and Lloyd's shared body. For the most part, they were all shocked, surprised, frozen in disbelief...but then there was Sakura.

She crawled up to Morro's side, looked him deep in the eyes, and didn't look away. "Can the Chosen One hear me?"

 _Oh God, I'm never going to hear the end of it am I? This is all so surreal._

"Yes, he can," Morro deadpanned, not amused.

Sakura flapped her hands with joy. "This is so exciting! So you can talk to him and everything?"

 _I don't like where this is going, Morro._

Morro was honestly humoured by Lloyd's dislike for communicating with people other than the Ghost possessing him. He had to get more social eventually, and this was just the opportunity for that. "Yes. He and I have conversations all the time."

"Can I say hi to him?"

"Sure?"

"Hi!"

 _This is really awkward...I mean, she can't even hear my response...how am I supposed to respond to that in the first place?! What do I say back to 'hi'?! Do I say hi back? She can't even hear it in the first place, why would it matter?! ...You're enjoying this, aren't you?_

Morro flashed a cheeky grin, though only he and Lloyd knew why. "Lloyd says hi back," he paraphrased.

Satisfied, Sakura retreated back to her original spot.

Kai stretched. "Well that's certainly bizarre. Guess Lloyd's destined to do save the world or something. But given how he and Morro are stuck together forever, that either means that Morro's going to die or is going to save the world in Lloyd's body. So which is it?"

Julien shrugged and said, "I haven't the slightest. It was all quite cryptic and mysterious, and what I told you is all that I really understood from the crystal ball vision. It's a wonder Visionayrs can make any sense of it. But...that's the end of the story anyways, so you can all return to the War Room if you'd like."

Everyone got back up onto their feet and prepared to head back to planning the details of Operation: Coral Dagger.

"You sure you don't want to come, Cole?" Kai said in an inviting tone.

Cole shook his head. "I'm a lover, not a fighter."

"They're the enemy, Cole. I'm sure you could - "

"Still," Cole argued. "Still fighting."

"What will you do when we engage Operation: Coral Dagger and we're in the heat of battle against the Serpentines?"

"Probably be a medic."

There was a pause. Everyone involved in the battle planning exchanged looks.

"Don't tell me you forgot to include medics in your plans, because that's just stupid." Cole frowned and crossed his arms.

Nya gave a sheepish grin. "We should probably head back and propose that to the rest of the team."

Sakura already started off. "Let's go, guys! And Morro - I'd like to talk to Lloyd some more when we're out again, so be ready!"

Morro bit a grimace. He had to be cordial, but he really had a thing against interacting with people.

Lloyd, on the other hand, was quite excited. If one could consider his panicky reaction to be excited. It wasn't that he hated Sakura, in fact it was the opposite. He liked her, wanted to interact with her, but had spent so long in his own mind that he forgot what it was like to talk to people that weren't Morro or himself. Add that onto the fact that he couldn't even actually talk to Sakura directly even if he wanted to, and the direction of their conversation was at the mercy of Morro's whim.

Before they could all head off, Julien snatched up Morro's wrist. "Wait! You...you...stay, please. I think I have an idea to help with your predicament. Wait just a moment."

Kai, Nya, and Sakura were already a ways ahead. He would catch up later. It wasn't like the War Room meetings were all that riveting anyways.

Cole didn't know what was going on himself, and watched as Julien scoured the contents of his vendor booth for some mechanism or other.

Clank! Rattle! Crash!

He emerged from a heap of unorganized devices with just what he was looking for. Julien shot Cole a look.

"I was going to organize that stuff, I promise," Cole insisted. He knelt down and helped the old man pull out the strange machine.

To the Golem's surprise, it was just like the robot servant from the lighthouse...but it was turned off.

"What is this?" Morro asked.

"It's a soul-compatible robot," Julien beamed, propping it up against the counter. "I was going to use it on my son to free him from a life as a Visionayr, but he was taken by the Serpentines. I keep the robot. I always thought I'd see him again, and then I would put his soul in this. But now I realize..." He shook his head. "I guess we all have to move on eventually, don't we?"

With wet eyes Julien looked on at Morro, waiting for him to realize what was being implied.

 _Oh my...this-this could change everything!_

Morro had figured it out too. "You don't mean...to put MY soul...in that robot?"

"In theory," Julien said. "I'm assuming you possessed Lloyd because he's human, right?"

 _Technically not human, but go on._

"Well," he continued. "This robot is meant to house human souls."

"B-but I'm a Ghost," Morro sputtered. This was just too unreal.

"Were you born human?"

"Yes, but - "

"Then you have a human soul. Your essence may change, but your soul will always be what it was born as. That's why you needed to be in a human, formerly human, or human-centric body. It's all about compatibility. I'd have to give it life support to stabilize your dying soul, but give me a bit of time and sooner than you think this robot could be you."

 _That sounds great! We could finally be separated! This is amazing! What do you think, Morro?_

The Ghost cop couldn't help but get the feeling that all this wasn't to free him, but rather to free Lloyd. He was the Chosen One, after all. What was Morro? Was he anything? Without Lloyd, was he anything useful or special? He had no family, no people willing to hug him and care for him. He had Dareth, sure, but that wasn't always a good thing.

Did he want to be separated? He wanted Lloyd to be happy more than anything, but now that the opportunity presented himself...was he ready to be alone again?

Clenched fists, eyes shut, mind consumed by the indecisiveness that comes with a moral dilemma.

...

"Let's do it."


	42. Spectators

**For some reason the last chapter didn't show up as updated, but hopefully this one will. Which one of you beautiful people wished on a star for me to have a night free of responsibilities for once? Because your wish came true last night, and I love you for that. It didn't last long, because I have yet another essay to write for that stupid ENGLISH 101 CLASS! But anyways.**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **TheAmberShadow - Thanks! And not the Overlord, but you're on the right track. Yep, the body-sharing duo's time is coming to an end. You'll have to wait to see which character dies... :)**

 **Jens - Really? You did? I thought that chapter was a bit thrown together, along with this one. Not seeing the update isn't your fault, it's the website's fault. I think it hates me. Or I'm just doing something wrong. And no worries, your comments make me happy so it's worth the wait.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Pixal's heart still pounded with adrenaline, even though it had been three days since their reunion. She knew very well that Echo wasn't going away any time soon. She would make sure of it.

Still, perhaps a little paranoia was a good thing. It kept her from sneaking out at night as often, it kept her at his side where she was needed, it kept him safe.

There wasn't much about this small treehouse that she liked, but Echo said it was giving him memories. She wanted that more than anything, to know who he was and where he came from. And if that meant staying in a creepy place like that treehouse then so be it.

Echo licked his ice cream with a pleasant smile, and she smiled herself. She would do whatever it took to keep those smiles on their faces as long as possible.

"Are you enjoying your ice cream, Echo?" she asked.

He let out and calm, affirmative hum. "Are you enjoying yours, Pixal?" She nodded. "Good."

The sun was out, the streets were clean, everything seemed to be happy. She even lacked the usual knot in her gut that told her bad things were to come. Perhaps everything would be alright for once. Perhaps.

Pixal and Echo walked in peaceful silence, nothing in the universe daring to interrupt such a precious moment.

Many times Echo had contemplated reaching out and holding her hand, but hadn't been able to go past grazing her palm with his icy fingertips. She knew what he wanted to do and how he was holding himself back. She knew he felt for her, she knew he wanted to take her hand and fall in love. She also knew that he was restraining himself because of her boundaries, and he respected that he gave Pixal her space.

The rays of the sun crept into her heart and eased the confliction she held, distracting her from such troublesome thoughts as love. She didn't love him. There was no way she loved him, not one bit. He was no more than a friend, a very close friend that she felt platonically intimate with. She did her best to wordlessly express that to him, and it seemed he was listening.

What Pixal didn't know, though, was that that wasn't the only reason Echo tried very hard to back off (this wasn't his main reason, of course, but it was still present): he thought she was romantically involved with Cryptor, and Cryptor wasn't the kind of person he was keen on getting on the bad side of.

"Where would you like to go next, Pixal?" he asked.

She thought a moment. "Do you suppose the park would help you recover any memories?"

He gave no reply, and they both headed their way to the park. That was the entire purpose for going out around town in the first place, to see if he could recall anything from his life - that, and the fact that Mr. Borg had suspiciously sent them away for the afternoon and told them not to return to the treehouse until he informed Pixal it was alright.

Speak of the devil -

"Hold on a moment," Pixal said, reaching into her pocket. It buzzed against her thigh until she pulled her phone out, then pressed the green 'Accept Call' button. "Hello, father...yes...we will head back right now...goodbye."

Echo exchange a glance with her. "Was that Mr. Borg? Is it time to head back yet?"

"Yes it is." She motioned for him to join her in heading back to the treehouse.

The return trip was just as quiet and serene as the trip to town, but a bit more rushed. They both longed to know just what Mr. Borg was up to, and picked up the pace to get back so they could see what was going on.

Though the air was warm, the ground beneath their feet was still frigid and cold. They could still see their breaths, and the forest floor crunched under the weight of their footsteps.

The door to the treehouse was jameed in place, and Pixal had to jiggle it a bit for them to able to enter the house.A familiar stale breeze flew into Echo's face, and a foreign sense of nostalgia swept him through the doorway and down the stairs.

Something didn't feel right. Something was wrong. The house was much too quiet, dark, and ominous. A deeply buried sensation bubbled up into his throat, and lodged itself there. It told him that something bad awaited their arrival, but it also prohibited him from verbalizing this concern to Pixal.

His hand mimicked the actions of holding Pixal's hand out of fear, but kept it to himself because holding someone's hand out of fear was childish. He was no child. He was calm, mature, and grown up. He was a teenager, from what he could figure based on his physical appearance.

Pixal reached her own hand behind her, but didn't look away from the stairs ahead and the dark silhouettes at the bottom of the treehouse. "Take my hand. You are afraid, Echo, are you not? Take my hand."

His cold digits wove themselves between hers, and she led him farther and farther into the darkness. They both tigtheneed their grips on one another, though it wasn't a voluntary action. he tightened because he was afraid of the disconcerting aura he got from the room, and she tightened because she was overcome by a feeling. It was a stupid, paranoid feeling, because there was no way she would ever lose him a second time...but it was a feeling nonetheless. It gave her comfort to know that as long as she held him, he couldn't slip away. Not again, never again.

The moment Pixal stepped foot on the base of the treehouse, the lights flickered on. Mr. Borg looked at them, sitting all pretty in his makeshift wheelchair. He clapped his hands together with delight. "Ah! You're back!"

Pixal instantly pulled her hand away from Echo, and he blushed. "Hello, faterh. What is all this about?"

She really didn't need to ask the question, considering the monolithic contraption placed just behind him. It was a sic-foot-tall glass cylinder, wtih mechanical panels to accessorize its smooth edges. A helmet dangled from the inside by a thick cable, the helmet decorated with light bulbs and LEDs and wires criss-crossing across its metal case.

"What is this, Mr. Borg?" Echo asked.

"I think I know of a way to restore your memories, Echo," Borg said in a matter-of-fact tone. "So I wanted to send you out to town while I worked on building it so I could surprise the two of you."

Pixal gave a snort, though no one could tell if it was because she was amused or merely being sarcastic. She tended to be like that with her father, who she still maintained a deep-seated grudge for.

Echo cast his arms around Mr. Borg's shoulders in a hug, beaming as he thanked Mr. Borg for his efforts. He could, with help from this machine, finally learn about his past.

Pixal wasn't as impressed by her father's apparent altruism. "Forgive me for being rude, father, but why? You barely even know Echo, why are you helping him?"

A new figure emerged from the depths of the room. "That is no way to talk to your father, Miss Borg."

Pixal shot the figure, revealed to be Cryptor, a dead glare. "I will talk to my father as I please, Cryptor. I do not believe that is your business."

How Echo thought those two were romantically involved was a mystery not even the universe itself could provide answers for.

Cryptor backed off, but still continued to reciprocate Pixal's unhappy glares.

"So will we start it up now?" Echo questioned, trying hard to mask his excitement. "Not to rush you if it isn't ready, though."

"How stupid are you, Echo?" Cryptor deadpanned. "There's a reason we called you here when we did. We wouldn't have had you come back if it wasn't ready."

Pixal's glare towards the robot intensified, but she said nothing.

Echo gave a sheepish smile, and he said nothing as well.

Borg dramatically whipped out a little switch. It was small and could fit in the palm of his hand, but flashed with a dull grandeur that wasn't to be overlooked. "Why don't you step right in, Echo, and see if it works?"

The ex-Visionayr gave a sharp nod, and took a few brisk steps up to the cylinder. "This is it, isn't it?" He set his hand on he glass, trying to reign in an image of him standing there and emerging with all the mental traction he presumably once possessed.

Pixal appeared behind him. "It is, Echo. Are you ready?"

He smirked and said, "More than ever. But...I'm worried. Pixal, I shouldn't be worried."

She shrugged, and firmly held his shoulders in place to prevent them from slumping in defeat. Pixal held him up, hoping her actions would also hold up his courage and capacity to push on.

"There is nothing to worry about. You will be fine." It would be a lie to say that she wasn't at least a little intimidated by the straight-from-science-fiction machine standing before her, but she had to be brave for Echo. For the both of them. It would be fine. It would be fine. Her nasty premonitions from earlier had faded, so if that didn't say she had nothing to fear then she didn't know what would.

"I will see you again," she promised. Did she believe that promise? Of course she did. There was no reason she wouldn't. Echo would come out of that machine with his memories.

It really would happen, though not in the way she hoped.

"R-right," he stammered. "But Pixal? I have something I need to tell you. Something important."

"I have things to tell you as well," Pixal said, briefly thinking back to her superhero alter-ego. "So stop worrying, get your memories back, and tell me when you get out."

"I promise." They hooked their pinkies together, making it official.

Cryptor leaned into his master. "I believe you owe me."

Borg huffed, humoured. "That was hardly a confession, Cryptor."

"Considering who we are talking about, that is as close to as a confession as they are going to get, Master Borg. So pay up."

"These things take faith and patience, Cryptor," Borg argued under his breath. The less Pixal and Echo heard of their conversation, the better. "And I have all the faith in the world that Pixal will be the one to confess."

"That faith will get you nowhere in our bet," Cryptor whispered harshly. "Your faith will betray you, Master Borg, the moment we witness Echo confess before she does. But I will let you lose. All the more to feed my wallet."

"You don't have a wallet, Cryptor," Borg retorted, and the two spectators left it at that.

The robot helped Pixal open the sliding glass door to the cylinder, further cementing in Echo's mind that the two were in love (the exact opposite was true). It broke his heart, but he couldn't dwell on such things. Not when his entire past was about to come rushing back to him.

Cryptor and Pixal assisted in fastening the helmet to Echo's head. The glass door was closed, trapping him in.

Now or never. He could do this. This would be great. Everything would be great. Everything HAD to be great.

"And...now!" Borg gave the switch a theatrical flip, and instantly the machine crackled to life.

The light bulbs and LEDs lit up and flashed and flickered, cords and cables dancing. Echo writhed, lips pulled terse as if holding back a...

"AAAAAHH!"

He clutched his head, clawed at the helmet, screamed and moaned for it to come off because it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it-

Borg flipped it back off without being told, the machine died down with a depressed hum, and Echo slumped against the glass wall.

His eyes fluttered, his body shook, his bones rattled under his rigid flesh.

Cryptor forced the door open. Pixal fell to her knees and reached her hands under him. Luckily she was strong enough to pick him up, and that he was light enough to be held. She yanked the helmet off before carrying him out bridal-style.

She wanted to cry out his name, she wanted to cry in general. But as she tried, she choked on her own voice and tears and could do nothing but watch.

He reached out a hand, the same one she had just held moments ago. She refused to set him on the ground, just held him steady. The world was drowned out. They were the only ones that existed now, just the two of them.

"Are you alright?"

No reply.

"Echo?"

Nothing. His eyes roll back into their place, but they're still empty and cold.

Echo?!"

He swallowed hard, trying to materialize the words in his brain. "Save..."

"What was that? Echo?"

"...save...my..."

"Echo? Save your what? Echo?!"

"...save...my...cho-chosen one...or the world...will...burn..."

She gasped. "What do you mean?"

"Pixal, I...I lo-love..."

Then his head lolled to the side, his eyes closed, and he went limp.

There was still a vivid pulse, but given how lifeless he was he might as well have been dead.

As she collapsed, keeping him curled and tucked up into her, he was closer than he had ever been. Heartbeats matched heartbeats. She held him tight and wouldn't let go, but it was too late.

He was farther than he had ever been, as he drifted into a coma and farther out of reach than ever before.

She knew only one thing - that she could NEVER forgive her father after this.


	43. Experiment 34621

**Hey everyone! Trying to get back to posting as often as I used to. Hopefully this chapter will show up as uploaded, or else I'm going to be screaming into the void when I get home. The last chapters were a bit long and I'm sorry, I'll try to keep them under 2,000 words from now on. My philosophy is to keep chapters short, but not too short.**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **Ebony umbreon - The absolute best torturer of minor characters. Second biggest? What's the biggest? I actually used your word 'patchwork' in this chapter because I like the word a lot, hope you're okay with that. Yeah, hopefully Echo can recover from that. Thanks for the comment!**

 **TheAmberShadow - I think he and Cryptor do know he used to be a Visionayr, but that's not deterring them from trying to get his memories back anyways. It can still be cute, even if it was a sad scene! Thanks, you too (if you go to school)!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - He most certainly is!**

 **Ninalb - Oh he certainly will...but at what cost? :)**

 **BedazzleDewdrops - Don't worry, friend. He's just in a coma. Not dead. Yet. Haha, that's funny!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

"So this is it." He took an artificial sigh, and she cringed at the painful falseness of it.

"An attitude like that will get you nowhere," she contradicted.

"Well you don't want to come with me, so it is." He crossed his arms over his ribs and the cloth covering his bones from prying eyes.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be like that. It's just that I have no reason to join you. You're smart enough to understand that, Jay, or is your lack of a brain making that difficult for you?"

If his skeleton face could have permitted it, he would have given her the nastiest glare known to man. "There's a line that shouldn't be crossed," he hissed. "And that comment's got you dangerously close to it. Watch your step."

Jay adjusted the scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face, further securing it over his mouth and nose hole. He tilted his head up, and a nearby child could have sworn that under the hat, sunglasses, and multiple layers of clothes she saw bone. Her mother passed it off as an overactive imagination.

The LED reader-board displayed multiple station names and arrival and departure times. "I have twenty minutes before I need to head off to my station. You sure you don't want to come?"

Skylor shrugged, arms firmly crossed. "Nah, there's not much waiting for me in Jamanakai."

"Then where are you gonna go?"

"Hmm?"

Jay repeated what he had said, and tugged at the edges of his gloves. Though he couldn't actually feel any of it, he was stricken was a wave of discomfort by the presence of that much cloth. He had dubbed the term Phantom Skin - his humourous explanation referred to how amputees get 'Phantom Limb' and how his skin had been removed so any false sensation he experienced must have been Phantom Skin. Skylor liked to jokingly say that if that was the case, he must have also had Phantom Brain as well - and while they were at it, Phantom Heart.

Skylor thought a moment. "I don't know yet. I'm sure I'll figure it out when I get there."

Jay harrumphed, yet remained undeterred.

"Why not come with me, though? What would it hurt? You'd have a roof over your head, assuming the treehouse is still intact after all this. I don't doubt Nya's ability to house-sit, but it's Cole I'm worried about. You see-"

Skylor held up a hand, and until she opened her mouth Jay worried she wanted to extinguish his train of thought. "Did you say Nya?"

"Yes? She's my girlfriend."

"Nya...Smith?"

"Yeeeeesss?"

"Sister of Kai Smith?"

"At this point it's safe to assume you know them," Jay said, a bit less uncertain than before. "Right?"

Skylor gave an affirmative nod. "At this point it's safe to assume you know them as well, and live with them. Right?"

Jay snorted at how she played his own words at him, but didn't want to make too big a deal out of it. "It'd be great of you to share HOW you know my girlfriend and her brother."

Skylor sighed. After everything, he did deserve to know. There really wasn't much a reason to keep it secret in the first place, save to protect her dignity and trustworthiness. This was a story that could also soil Kai's reputation were Jay to tell any of his other friends. That was assuming, however, that the rest of them didn't know. Jay seemed like the kind of person who was consistently left out of the loop.

Another sigh. Alright. Better to get it out now, than to become a cliche and wait for some inconvenient circumstance to force the truth out later.

"You know what the Serpentines are working on?"

"Don't change the subject," Jay snapped. Skylor stated that she wasn't, and pulled her Bone Fairy companion to the wall where no one would hear or witness what conversation was about to transpire.

She looked around. The coast was clear. "His name was Chen. He was the lead Serpentine scientist, working on their sinister Project Patchwork."

"Patchwork?" Jay retorted. She shushed him.

"Project Patchwork's goal was to create the ultimate chimera," Skylor added. "And before you ask, 'chimera' is what we used to call Hybrids."

Jay's voice cracked with weakness, almost ready to push her away and never look back. "We?"

She nodded. "We. But before you get upset, let me explain. You're bound to find out either way, so you should at least hear it from me. Back when Chen was in charge of Project Patchwork, they were called chimeras. Today that term is reserved for Creatures with three or more essences fused together. They wanted a way to tamper with essences without needing to rely on Witches, though they still kept some Witches on their team as a Plan B."

Jay understood what the inflection in her tone implied, and saved his comments for when she was done.

"I was on the team," Skylor said with a slight remorseful wibble. "I was in the research and analysis division. My job was to analyze and record all the side effects of Hybridization/Chimerification."

"Chimerification sounds cooler if you ask me," Jay insisted. "But what does all this have to do with Kai and Nya?"

"I'm GETTING to that," Skylor said curtly. She pulled some hair out of her face. "While doing my reseach, I met a particularly...interesting...test subject. Experiment 34621, he was called."

"Kai?"

"Let me finish!"

She paused, looked around at the station, waited for people's suspicious looks to turn away, and then continued with her story. "It was that he started a riot. All to save his little sister, whose essence was underdeveloped at the time so we couldn't safely test on her."

"What do you mean?"

"Essences develop and grow stronger over time, which is why it's always a bit of a gamble to experiment with younger essences. They're unpredictable, fragile, and weak. Not good test subjects."

"You mean lab rats," Jay corrected, voice cold.

"Sure, if you want to call your girlfriend something as demeaning as that." She halted her speech a bit to gather her thoughts. "Since I was his age, they figured I'd be the most successful in making a negotiation with him. We said that if he was complacent, we wouldn't hurt his sister. So he gave in, and we continued as if the riot hadn't happened."

"But...?"

"But the two of us grew emotionally attached," Skylor said. "Friends, we even called ourselves. He provided good data, and I gave him someone to talk to. Chen, my father, even permitted these interactions because I was his daughter and he wanted his daughter to be happy. But then he died, and his number two - a man named Clouse - took the reigns. He changed the official name to 'Hybrid', and prohibited my relationship with Kai. So I helped him escape with his sister. Then I was reprimanded for my treason and -"

"Turned into a Witch-snake Hybrid," Jay finished.

"Y-yeah..."

Jay rubbed his temples, wishing he could close his eyes to shut out the world while he struggled to make sense of the revelation. He had so many things to ask, to say, to do. And yet the light-hearted part of him could only make out, "So does this mean you'll be joining me now?"

Skylor's snickering response was dry but honest. "I suppose it does. It's been a while since I've seen the Smiths, and I get the feeling we have a lot of catching up to do."

The two of them left the wall and made way for the ticket booth, ordering two tickets as they passed, and made way for Station Terminal 4B.

They boarded the train, sat down in their seats, and situated themselves for the scenic ride to Jamanakai. It was time to come home.


	44. The End of the Body-Sharing Duo

**Sorry if this chapter is too gushy or happy. I promise we will resume the soul-crushing angst in just a bit, so hang tight.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Loki God of Evil - Yeah, wonder how Nya's gonna react. **

**BedazzleDewDrops - Thanks!**

 **Anonymous7 - I have too much homework too, we should both probably get that done... :) No, Echo/Zane isn't dead. I probably should've clarified better that he's in a coma now. A lot of people are worrying about that. Not dead, not dead (yet). Thanks!**

 **TheAmberShadow - Yeah, but they're a pain to write. This one's another long one. Probably should be working on that giant project instead of this but eh. Why are ALL of my internet buddies home schooled? AM I THE ONLY ONE IN THE NINJAGO FANDOM WHO ACTUALLY ATTENDS PUBLIC SCHOOL?! You'll find out how much you got right/wrong in the next chapter. Thanks, I'll try not to!**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Haha! What did poor widdle Chen ever do?**

 **Ninalb - I almost cried after reading your comment. Really. I even had to show my mom. What you said about my writing...it means more to me than words can express. Especially to hear it come from the author of two of my favourite fanfictions (Possessed and Sin Qua Non). Thank you thank you thank you! :)**

 **Ebony umbreon - Yeah, but isn't that the premise of the show? A troop of friends go around making really stupid choices while also trying to save the world. That basically sums up Ninjago right there.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

"Why wouldn't we destroy the ships?" Ronin asked. "It'll keep them from retreating."

Garmadon looked back at the table, which had a map draped over it and crude carvings scattered across. He picked up a wooden ship figurine, absent-mindedly inspecting it. "Do we even really know what we want to do with them once we've captured them?"  
"I say...we kill them! Kill them all!" exclaimed a particularly plucky Hydroscale general. "Avenge our fallen -"  
Sakura shook her head. "We can't have that, Ocean Star. We're not barbarians, y'know."  
Wu stroked his beard and nodded in agreement. "Sakura is right. We need to find something more humane to do with them."  
"As if what they've done to OUR people is in any way humane," Ocean Star shot back. "I say we give them a taste of their own medicine."

"Resorting to cruelty would only make us as bad as them," said another Hydroscale. This one was wrapped in gauze and littered with ugly scars. She had gotten all her wounds from a failed recon mission to the Serpentine base, and the sudden reminder of her presence made the room fall remorsefully silent.

Ocean Star was more than ready to break that silence, though, in an attempt to get the wounded soldier on his side of the argument. "How can YOU of all people say that, Tiger Shark?! After what they've done to you, don't you want revenge?"  
The Hydroscale known as Tiger Shark rolled her wheelchair - the one Julien had made for her - up to the table to closer inspect their battle strategies, which in her veteran mind were nothing short of the same sloppy mistakes that she paid the price for.

"Believe me, I want to stick it to these jerks where it hurts just as much as the next guy. Given what they've taken from me…" She paused to motion to her many wounds. Her eye was taken, her gills could only operate with the help of another one of Julien's machines, her body was missing from the waist down, her arm was in a sling, and her fins were ripped. All her scales were either gone, cracked, or blanched.

She tightened her remaining fist. "...There isn't another person on Melody Island who wants to see them in hell as much as I do."  
"Then why won't you kill them?" Ocean Star argued.

Now it was time for Wu to interject with his own bit of wisdom. "It is as Tiger Shark here said: fighting fire with fire makes us no better than the ones who lit the flame in the first place. We need to defeat the invaders, but we need to hold true to our morals in doing so."  
Even Ocean Star couldn't come up with a good rebuttal to that. So they continued to toss around possibilities in the air for a good half hour, until break time came.

"Let's meet back in twenty," Garmadon suggested. Everyone obeyed.

Kai and Nya appeared in the doorway just as everyone was filing out.

"What did we miss?" Kai asked.

"A truly touching discussion about morals," Ronin said sarcastically, completing the image with a fake hand-over-heart gesture. "But otherwise, not much. Congrats on getting here in time for break, though." He snickered as he walked past and out the door. He leaned against the outer wall of the War Room, pulled his hat over his eyes, and assumed the odd standing position he would always take during his naps.

Nya and Kai exchanged guilty glances before confronting Garmadon and his brother. "Sorry we're late," Nya said in a rushed tone.

Wu's eyes glimmered knowingly. "It's alright. Ronin is right, though, when he says you did not miss much. Just a lesson that you would have benefited from learning. But no matter. Something tells me you have something more pressing to say."  
Kai nodded, and he asked, "You know how Julien said he'd get Morro his own body?"  
Garmadon's eyes widened. "You don't mean -"  
"We do," Nya confirmed. "He wants us to get you two over to his booth. This is probably something family and friends need to be around for. We spent all this time trying to track down Gayle and Dareth, actually."  
Nya gave a fond smile at the state they had found the two in - adventuring through the Hydroscale town, exploring the outskirts, spilling a bit into the forest itself. Gayle was taking detailed notes on everything. This was no doubt going to be the scoop of a lifetime. Nya was pleased to see how supportive and helpful Dareth had been to make sure Gayle got everything she could possibly need to make the most phenomenal report the world had ever seen.

Nya couldn't help but be reminded of a similar duo she knew - her and Jay. With their combined interests and personalities, they were a formidable Fairy force of technical know-how and love. From the day they met, to all the days after...it wasn't a perfect ride, but life with Jay was a special kind of roller-coaster she wasn't ready to let go of.

She also couldn't help but come upon the more horrific memories as well. Mainly, the screams and sounds of wings being pulled from flesh. The sounds of the torture he was made to endure. The fear that she might never see him again, and if she did, that he would never be the same Jay she fell head-over-heels for.

Emerging from her reminiscent train of thought, Nya found that they were already well on their way to Julien's vendor booth - and with Sakura in tow, at that. It was expected, though, since Sakura had been simply enthralled by the idea of a Chosen One since Julien first told her the story - even more so, after learning Lloyd was such a one.

The vendor booth was surprisingly vacant, save a few lingering customers that Cole was politely trying to shoo away.

Morro sat on the counter, eyes locked on the robot body that was soon to be his.

 _Are you sure you're ready to do this, Morro?_

"Of course I am," Morro retorted. "Are YOU?"  
 _I'll miss you, man._

"Idiot. I'll still be around. I'm not going anywhere."  
 _Except that you are. In any case, though, I'm just saying my body will feel a little empty without you there to take up so much space._

"You're saying I take up space, huh?"  
Garmadon smirked at the interactions between this ghost and his son. It was funny because all anyone could hear was Morro's responses, which made him sound more or less like he wasn't completely sane.

Gayle, meanwhile, was instructing Dareth on how to angle the camera. There was no way she wasn't videotaping something as monumental as this.

Julien opened up the chest panel and went over the mechanics with Morro. He pointed to the brass clock embedded into the chest. "This is basically your heart. Its ticking is your heartbeat. It may look like a normal clock, but it's actually the essence stabilizer that will keep you from going kaput!"  
Morro grimaced at the inventor's lighthearted choice of words.

He went on to tell him about the blueprint and the purpose of each gear and part, but Morro didn't care to listen. Not that he could, with how his mind was racing where it was. Lloyd was probably paying attention. He could just ask him what Julien was saying later.

This was it. This was really it. He hated to admit it, but he was in fact going to miss having that guy's voice in the back of his mind. He was going to miss a lot of things, like eating and having a human body and such. He would still be able to swim, Julien assured him of that, but deep down Morro knew it wouldn't be the same.

After what happened during the War, it would NEVER be the same. That's what he signed up for when he agreed to fight in the first place.

 _You don't have to do this if you don't want to. We can keep this up, it's no big deal._

Under his breath so no one could hear, Morro argued, "No we can't, Lloyd, and you know that. YOU can't keep this up and I can't sit here another day knowing I'm the reason you can't tell your dad how much you love him."  
 _You've always done a good job of telling him that for me._

"Isn't there a single part of you that wants to tell him that with your own mouth, by your own choice? Don't you want to get your agency, your autonomy, your LIFE back?"  
 _I do. Believe me, I do. But I just want to make sure you're not just doing this for me._

"Who else would I be doing it for? You're the Chosen One, after all, and my best friend."

Before Lloyd had the chance to ask what Morro meant…

A whirlwind of everything pulling and tugging. It was familiar and unpleasant, as he was thrusted behind the wheel without notice. Everything stung and hurt, and the light pierced his eyes in uncomfortable ways. His heart beated on in his ribs, which he felt, and the air sliced against his skin and suddenly he was aware of what sensation was like. He could feel every single part of his body, and everything that was touching it, and his mind was overwhelmed with the existence of the universe pouring into his mind to fill a new Morro-shaped void.

Morro hovered in front of him, contorting and twisting and writhing. He let out a scream.

For a moment everyone stood there, frozen in the headlights of reality. In a moment, everyone sprang to action.

"AAAH!" He clutched his head, his ghostly aura flickering. Morro's apparition sunk to the ground. He could suddenly feel everything too, from the water bullet the Boo Busters shot at him to the pain brought on by existing on his own.

The very core of his being wavered and shook, rattling around in his quivering ghost body (if you could call it that). The pain of needles stabbing his minty green skin, the agony of the very heart of his ectoplasm imploding and exploding at once.

Without a word, Cole snatched Morro by the shoulders and thrusted him into the robot's silhouette. Even his bulky rock body struggled to hold down Morro's intangible-yet-tangible form.

A flash. It was green and bright, and everything Lloyd remembered it to be. It left a citrus sensation in his eyes. He had forgotten how to move his arms, so unlike everyone else he couldn't have shielded his eyes from the flash.

…

The world dimmed down, and everyone set down their arms and squinted. On instinct Lloyd tried to leap to the robot's side, tried to shout out the name of his former bodymate. But he couldn't, because all this felt so foreign to him. It had been to long, and he had gotten too used to being just a voice. But now that he could, he had trouble using it.

Everyone rushed to the robot's side to see if it was a success.

A moment of anticipation came and went before the robot's eyes opened up, before its rusty joints creaked to life, before sound came from the depths of its mechanical voice box.

It was warbled, glitchy, and as aged as the rest of the body, but the voice was undoubtedly Morro. "The fact that everyone's staring at me and that I can't feel my legs tells me it worked."

A collective sigh of relief.

"Does anything hurt?" Julien questioned.

"No, everything's numb. Which I would honestly take over pain any day."

Morro clambered up onto his feet, each movement rigid and autonomous. He certainly didn't look, sound, or move like the normal Morro everyone knew and loved (or loathed, depending on who you talked to), but there was no doubt in Lloyd's now-open mind that it was in fact his friend.

The possessed robot took a few creaky steps, rusted joints groaning as he made his way towards his blonde companion.

Lloyd lay slumped on the counter, trying to move but not sure how. He was breathing without putting too much thought into it, which was a good thing, along with blinking and keeping his heart beating. Those did require a small level of effort as the contents of his conscious still settled in, but his control over his subconscious actions began to drift from him with every passing second.

This certainly wasn't as hard as the last time they had split. So what was different about this time? No one could provide a good answer for that, and no one ever would. The best anyone could come up with was that back on the beach, with Morro close to dying again, it was adrenaline and sheer willpower that got Lloyd up on his feet so fast.

Morro and Lloyd locked eyes, now finally two separate entities. "Are you okay?"  
Lloyd responded with a slow nod and a failed attempt to speak. A small grunt of confirmation was all he managed to get out.

That was all anyone needed to thrust themselves at him, swaddling him in love and hugs and joy. He could feel it, all of it. He could feel Kai's strong arms. Wu's beard. Sakura's scales. The seams of shirts and the smooth rubbery texture of skin. He could feel his own heart beat.

But most importantly, he could feel his father.

"I've missed you, son," he said. "I'm so glad you're alright."  
Lloyd had so many things he wanted to say, but too little energy or experience to materialize the thoughts racing around in his head. His thoughts certainly had more freedom to roam, no longer cramped by the presence of a second soul.

It was almost lonely. Almost.

Consumed by a messy dog pile of limbs and laughter, Lloyd was finally at home. In the arms of his friends and family was where he was meant to be, and here he was.

The first words Lloyd said with his own mouth were, "I love you."

"I love you too," said Garmadon, as he kissed his son's head.

Morro watched on at the display of love, still adjusting to the cold awkwardness of his new robot body. He crossed his arms, satisfied at the good he had done. Though having a robot face made it hard, Morro somehow managed to grace his lips with a vacant smile.

This was why he split from Lloyd, because this was what Lloyd deserved - to be with his family.

Morro wished he had a family, too.


	45. Why ARE You Here, Pixal?

**Okay, so good news everybody: I've successfully started a new fanfic! Yay! It's for a different fandom, for a show called Detective Conan. If you've seen it, please read my story 'Aftermath, Afterlife'. If not, I highly recommend you check out Detective Conan. It's a murder mystery show with a somewhat sci-fi twist. It's cute and fun and also kind of sad. Scratch that, there are some episodes that hit you in the feels hard.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
TheAmberShadow - Morro will figure it out soon enough. Give the poor traumatized boy some time. I'll miss possessed Lloyd too, but it's necessary for what I have planned in the future. **

**Stydealized - Thanks! Let's certainly hope Nya's open-minded.**

 **Ebony umbreon - Yay, I have a public school buddy! And though their adventures as a body-sharing duo have ended, they're still a duo through and through.**

 **Anonymous7 - Can we all just hug Morro for a sec? Aw, thanks! Haha, Ronin the destroyer of ships!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

"I watched you die," is what he had said when he first woke up. "I watched everyone die. The world burned and it fell apart and...how...how are you still here? Everyone is dead, everyone is dead, everyone is - "

He continued to repeat that phrase endlessly, and could have gone on longer, but the doctors found it in their hearts to sedate him.

At the moment, Echo was in the best hospital in Ninjago, which was located in Ninjago City. She anticipated staying by his bedside in the earnest hope that he would wake up without babbling on about the end of days.

Yet that didn't happen.

For some reason she found herself clambering back to Jamanakai, back to the eerie treehouse she had previously wished to leave and forget, back to the place where her life was taken from her a second time.

Wait, what? That was a little melodramatic. They were friends - close friends - but to say that the accident took her life from her was definitely pushing the envelope.

Perhaps what drew her back was the chance to get away from that wretched father of hers. No good came when she collaborated with him. When Cyrus Borg was around, secrets were kept and people were hurt. Echo's accident was clear evidence of the latter.

Perhaps what drew her back was the same siren song that told Echo he'd find his past here. To be honest, she wanted to find his past too - now more than ever, because some of his babblings hinted at a life before being a Visionayr.

Echo used to be a Visionayr - that much, she knew. She didn't know what his name was, where he came from. All she knew, all she needed to know, was that he had been taken by the Serpentines and something in her heart told her that she needed to get them both out of that place.

Thank God for that. Otherwise, at this point Echo surely would have been melted and the water produced would have been drank and people in dangerously high places would have been given temporary sight of the future.

In retrospect, Echo's incessant bout of madness likely came from the universe trying to balance things out. Hadn't Chamille said something about that? The world just wasn't ready to know what time looked like, and so he was given amnesia. Maybe trying to find his past was a fool's errand from the start.

But it was too late at this point. Here she was, sitting in an empty treehouse, questioning and regretting everything.

She loomed over a bundle of papers, covered in her own perfectly legible scrawlings. Out of everything she had written, only on of the solutions proposed on paper seemed to be a good idea. They could erase Echo's memories, make him forget everything, and start over. But he didn't deserve that.

For now, all Pixal could do was sit there and wish she hadn't decided to play superhero that night. Those same Wisp powers she used to fight crime didn't save Echo then, and they probably couldn't save him now.

She still went out on nightly patrols to keep the streets safe, in spite of her guilt and grief. Dawning the heroic mask that was Wisp-er kept her mind off of things she would have rather not thought about, like Echo's mental state or her shaky standing with her father or her status as a rogue ex-Serpentine.

Pixal crumpled up the papers into a big ball and chucked it at the trashbin.

Footsteps could be heard above her, along with talking. Cryptor? Borg? ...Echo?

No, those voices didn't sound like voices she knew. She closed her eyes and activated her Wisp sense.

Two people walked up to the door of the treehouse. They knew very well what they were doing and where they were going, as the boy's hand dove straight for the hidden door-knob. He was a skeleton, one with a key shape carved into his toe, and tried his very best to hide his true nature with countless layers of clothing. He would have succeeded, if not for Pixal's omniscient Wisp sense.

The girl had her hair in a loose ponytail, and was a touch taller than her companion. She wasn't much of anything special, save the mysterious aura bundled in her heart. This girl had a plethora of secrets, not much unlike Pixal herself.

Pixal decided to keep herself planted where she was. Maybe they'd give her the answers she sought about Echo's past, like what his real name was. Just a thought.

They went down the steps, and Pixal contemplated greeting them. She decided to wait for them to find her.

"So this is where we live," said the boy. "After the sanctuary burnt down we found ourselves here, after Lloyd and Zane followed Farukon - before we found out she was a Shifter - here. We lived here for a good bit, and...and you know the rest."

"The lights are on inside," the girl added. "Do you suppose someone's home?"

"Nya and Cole are the only ones who are supposed to be left," the boy replied. "But considering my girlfriend's personality I wouldn't be all that surprised if she was going on her own special adventure right now, especially considering the listening device I told you about earlier - no doubt bringing my best bud Cole along for the ride."

"I think they're still here. The lights are still on."

The boy shrugged. "Typical of them, really. I seem to be the only person who remembers to actually turn off the lights after they leave the room. It can get really frustrating at times. And while we're at it, they probably didn't leave a note. Nya's just kinda like that, y'know? When she's got her mind fixed on something, not much else seems to get through that Water Fairy skull of hers. The absolute epitome of carpe diem, if you ask me...but that's without a doubt one of the things I love most about her."

Ah, love. Pixal's own heart stung at the thought of it, a thought she quickly hammered with the truth that she was not at all in love with her friend.

The two people froze in their footsteps. They'd spotted her.

Pixal opened her eyes and turned around. She could rely on her human vision from here on.

"What the- w-who are YOU?!"

"Hello," she greeted. "My name is Pixal. I hope you do not mind that I have been staying here for the past while. I assume you are the owners of this house?"

The boy nodded. "Something like that. N-now what exactly ARE you doing here? Do you have permission to be in my house?"

"If you want to leave, then I shall," Pixal stated, and prepared to head for the door.

"But why are you here in the first place?" the girl questioned, almost sounding desperate to know.

Pixal whipped her head around to face them once more. "The circumstances that brought me here are quite complex, but I shall try to keep this brief. Long story short, my best friend has amnesia. He came here because it helped him recover memories. He is currently in the hospital right now, and I am the only person here as of yet."

The girl turned to the boy. "Could that apply to anyone you know?"

"Possibly? It's Pixal, right? What does your friend look like?"

Pixal let a fond smile grace her lips as she reminisced on Echo's appearance. "He has changed quite a lot since I first met him. He is short, a good foot or so shorter than me. He has blonde, almost white, hair and grey eyes. He recently was attacked, and now he has half a mechanical face and a robotic heart."

The girl's expression seemed to ask the boy if it rang any bells. He shrugged and shook his head. "Doesn't sound like anyone I know."

"I wouldn't imagine so," Pixal said. "Since he has only been human for as long as I have known him."

"What do you mean?"

Pixal rolled her neck before walking up closer to them. "Not long after I rescued him from Serpentine clutches, he was hurt. I took him to a nearby hut, which belonged to some Witches. They saved him by giving him a new, human essence."

That tidbit of information seemed to pique the boy's interest. "So what was he before?"

"He was a Visionayr."

If his skeleton face could have allowed, his eyes would have expanded with disbelief and shock. "Could he...is his name Zane by any chance?"

Now it was Pixal's turn to shrug. "I have no idea. When he awoke from his essence change, he had amnesia. I have been calling him Echo thus far. Right now he is in a hospital in Ninjago City. Would you like me to take you to him?"

The boy nodded his head hastily. "W-why's he in the hospital?"

Pixal bit the inside of her cheek to fight back the bitter taste of bad memories. "A failed attempt to recover his memories. I shall simply leave it at that."

The boy nodded again. "Can I see him?"

"Of course. I can call my father to send the private jet in right away."

"Private jet?!"

"Well he IS wealthy."

The girl blinked, dumbfounded. "If you're wealthy enough to own a private jet, what are you doing spending your time in THIS dump? ...No offense, Jay."

The boy who was called Jay let it roll off. "None taken. I'd hardly even call this place mine. But seriously though, Pixal. Why ARE you here?"

She mulled over her reasons. Why? Why had she returned to this nightmarish niche? There was nothing here for her but a house full of reminders of Echo's condition, and the event that caused it.

"I honestly do not have the slightest clue."


	46. I'll Be Fine, Really

**Hey kids! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. And sorry to say it, but for all y'all it won't get too much better for a bit.**

 **See, I'm Muslim. This Muslim holiday called Ramadan is coming up. It lasts a month long and it's supposed to start either Friday or Saturday. So I'll be going on a nice, refreshing hiatus to really appreciate and celebrate. Don't expect any updates until late June/early July. Again, I'm sorry that if it comes as an inconvenience to any of you. On the bright side, it'll give me plenty of time to clean up the plot so that when I come back all refreshed and ready to go, this story will hopefully be even better than before. Hopefully.**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **Ebony umbreon - I'd call it a bit more than a fit, but hey. Yay, plot convenience!**

 **Anonymous7 - In my opinion, it definitely is worth your time as a series. Yep, this story is for sure going to start picking up speed. Probably by next chapter if things go according to plan. Thanks!**

 **Ninalb - Woohoo! Yep, he won't be too surprised. But everyone else will be!**

 **TheAmberShadow - Oh trust me, I haven't truly shown you guys the full extent of his trauma. I think he does still control lightning, but I haven't really had much opportunity to explore that part of his new form. But I might have to think about some cool bone powers to give him. Haha, don't mess with Pixal!**

 **elveron294 - THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU KIND PERSON!**

 **Jens - Is it really? Oh my god I am so so sorry! I would really greatly appreciate it if you could give me some ideas on how to lighten things up. I admit my writing style is a bit dark (my mom would say that's an understatement) and I've really had to hold myself back with this story, so it would be AMAZING if you could give me some pointers on how to keep things from getting too dark. Please and thank you!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Operation: Coral Dagger was a go.

Cole sat in his sleeping quarters, which was an outdoor shed Julien whipped up for him, and prepared for the day ahead. He had a medic band around his rock arm, to let everyone know that he was there to help and not fight. The whole town was dead silent, probably because of what was to come the next day.

And it was going to come.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Cole said.

The doorknob shook for a moment, and a person entered the doorway. Average height, tufty blonde hair freckles, and dressed in Hydroscale clothes. He used a cane, still getting used to walking with his own two feet, but otherwise had a strong aura about him. He wore the medic band on his arm with pride. Just because he wasn't able to fight, didn't mean he couldn't at least do SOMETHING - naturally, this was to the chagrin of almost everyone else.

The Golem grinned. "Don't you look sharp."

Lloyd closed the door behind him and thanked his friend for the compliment. "Thanks, Cole. And - and thanks for believing in me, for letting me do this."

"It's not that they don't believe you or trust you," Cole corrected. "It's that they just got you back. WE just got you back, kid, and not everyone's ready to lose you again."

"I'm not going anywhere, Cole," Lloyd insisted. "I'll be fine. Really."

 _"I'm not going anywhere, Dad. I'll be fine. Really."_

 _"I know, son. I'm just...so proud of you. I can't bear the thought of something bad happening to my son."_

 _"Dad, I said I'll be fine didn't I?"_

Cole didn't shake that memory out of his head like he usually did. What Lloyd said too closely mirrored his own words in a former life, only confirming in his mind that everyone was right to worry.

"I once said those same words to my father," Cole said in a dark tone. "I was just about to board a bus to Ignacia. My performing arts team was going on a trip to some kind of competition, I think. The exact purpose of the trip is a bit fuzzy now, after so long, but I still remember saying exactly that to my dad before boarding."

Lloyd gave a stiffy sigh of relief. "So certainly YOU must understand that I'll be as fine as I say I will."

Cole shook his head, and Lloyd's heart sunk. "I never said I made it back alive."

"W-what? What happened, if I may ask?"

"Serpentines," said the Golem coldly. He fingered the edges of his arm band. "They attacked the town - it had a massive Fairy population, if I remember right. My bus was overthrown in a crash. I died instantly, so at least I didn't get to see them carting off my Fairy friends into cages."

Lloyd's hand reached up to his mouth to smother a gasp.

Cole continued. "Then my dad took my heart and put it in a magic rock, and now I'm a Golem. And then..." He stopped himself, seeming to have remembered that Lloyd was in his presence. "What happened next is a story for next time. You get the idea, though. But you'll make it back in one piece, won't ya kiddo?"

Lloyd gave a sharp nod in response. "O-of course! I'm just a medic. And besides, I've got you with me and I know Morro and Kai will come rushing to my side if I so much as get a scratch."

That last part was drenched in a tone of heavy distaste. It was in fact true that Morro and Kai had coddled Lloyd since the separation - everyone had, really, but those two were the main culprits. Cole always imagined it would be Garmadon at the very least to fuss over Lloyd left and right, which he did, but to see Kai of all people acting like the mother hen was almost amusing. Needless to say, Lloyd absolutely LOATHED it.

Perhaps all this had dug up some of his older-brother instincts, the same instincts that got him out of Serpentine hold all those years ago. Kai didn't divulge too many details about the experience, just that they were caught and a Witch helped him and his sister escape and that was that. Considering both Nya AND the Serpentine were here, that theory seemed to be the most plausible.

"So what are you here for, Lloyd? Cuz not to nag, but I would like to get some shut-eye. Golems don't need sleep but I sure as hell enjoy a good nap."

Lloyd jolted in surprise. Ah, right. The reason he was here. "R-right. Dad just wanted me to inform you that the pulse will go off at 6 AM and the singing will start at 6:01 so you -"

"I have one minute to put my helmet on," Cole finished. "Got it. Good thing I have fast reflexes. Thanks for the intel, Lloyd."

"Any time." Lloyd's eyes twinkled at the sound of praise. He really did enjoy a good compliment. He was sort of like a little kid in that regard.

"Is that all?"

Lloyd shook his head. "Just that, and to say thanks. For giving me the chance to be a medic when everyone else insisted I sit back and do nothing."

Cole shrugged. "Just don't make me regret it, or nobody will let me live it down. Got that, squirt?" He gave Lloyd a light noogie, though without any sense of his own strength it rubbed off a bit more painfully than intended.

The boy yelped, both playfully and in response to the pain, and hobbled away from his Golem friend. "Nobody messes with MY hair."

"Huh," said Cole. "Sounds like something Kai would say."

"Don't you dare imply that I'm turning into Kai."

"Just stating the facts, kiddo."

A brief moment of silence passed over, and Lloyd prepared to head off. "I guess I'll see you at the medic tent then, huh?"

Cole nodded. "Where is that again?"

"It should be on your map, the one they handed out to everybody this afternoon."

"Ah. I'll give it a peek. I at least know where to find YOU if I get lost."

Lloyd snickered and prepared to head out the door. "See you tomorrow, Cole."

The door closed behind him and he was off, most probably to his family's sleeping quarters. He left just before Cole could respond with, "Take care of yourself out there."

Cole didn't like the feeling he got in his earthy gut (or perhaps the rocks he had eaten earlier just weren't sitting well). He didn't want to seem overbearing, but Cole couldn't help but worry that Morro and Kai were right to fuss over Lloyd.

He was Zane's Chosen One, first of all, and if Julien's story held any merit then that meant Lloyd was destined for some great - and dangerous - things.

Second, they had just gotten him back. HIM, not the possessed version. They had him again, not having Morro around as a sort of proxy, not having to speak to Lloyd vicariously through Morro. Not to say that Officer Morro Kaze was all that bad himself, but they all knew Lloyd better. He was their friend, their family, their brother. Morro just happened to be some brooding ghost cop that wandered into their lives by tragic accident.

Lastly, life had a way of working out in the least fortunate way possible. Cole's second life was certainly a testament to that fact.

On second thought, maybe involving Lloyd in Operation: Coral Dagger wasn't the best idea.

* * *

 **So yeah. Veni Vidi Vici is officially on hiatus. Y'all're free from the literary hell that is this story for a bit. Expect a chapter to come sometime around early July. Sorry for the inconvenience if any of you are upset about that, but if you didn't read the author's not above then I'll explain: I'm Muslim, a Muslim holiday called Ramadan is coming up, Ramadan lasts a month long, and I'd very much like to celebrate it. So...yeah. Seeya around, everybody!**

 **~Erio**


	47. The Glass Dragon: Part 1

**Wow, would you look at that. I've actually updated for once. It's been a nice, refreshing month though. Kinda glad I took that break. But now I'm ready to attack the final stretch of this story, now that I've cleaned up the plot a bit. We're in the back nine, folks.**

 **FYI, I haven't written in a month. So if this chapter isn't up to par with my usual work, then blame it on the fact that I'm a bit rusty. I'll get back into the swing of things, hopefully. Also, this 3-part arc includes a scene that I've been planning since before this fic even had a name. So hopefully I can satisfy the masses by making it good. That scene will definitely have some mixed reviews, though.**

 **Comment Reviews!**

 **Anonymous7 - I had no clue there was a difference between being spiritual and religious. Is there? And AWWW, SHUCKS. You're too kind, bro. Thanks :)**

 **TheAmberShadow - Cole's always happy to help with the paranoia and anxiety feels. Actually, you are right on the mark. That's exactly what his dad did. But I don't plan to include that in the story, because I feel like that kind of flashback would be WAY too dark.**

 **CHEESEPUFF - I'm both flattered and ashamed that I kept you from your sleep. So thanks? But also I'm terribly sorry? Yes, in this 3-part arc you will learn a lot about Lloyd's past, I can promise you that.**

 **Ebony umbreon - Thanks!**

 **Vixenlovesninjago - Well wait no more! I've got a chapter right up for you and plan on resuming a regular update schedule!**

 **elveron294 - Thank you, i very much needed that break. And I'm sorry, broken hearts are no fun. I'll try to lighten it up for those two. God knows those boys deserve happiness.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Did he think he would wind up in the heat of something this monumental? No, no he did not.

He was just a kid. A kid who wanted to eat his candy and hang out with his friends in peace. A kid who made some bad choices, and paid an ultimate price.

But maybe, just maybe, his suffering was finally over.

He fidgeted with the medic band around his arm. Cole was at his side, rocky arms crossed over his chest and slouched against the wall. Nods of approval shared.

Let the countdown begin.

10.

Gripping helmets.

9.

Gritting teeth.

8.

Whispering prayers.

7.

Closing eyes.

6.

Smiling.

5.

Tensing body.

4.

Getting weapons ready.

3.

Setting hearts aside.

2.

Preparing for a fight.

1.

Goodbye.

All hell seemed to break loose in that split second, when Nya amped up the frequency that shattered ears and hearts alike.

One minute.

The non-Hydroscales in the army got their helmets on - helmets that could block out any outside noise so they wouldn't be subdued by Hydroscale song.

They couldn't hear it, and it was better that way, the way a chorus of elegant Hydroscale voices tumbled into the air. Soft and carefree, the melody wrapped its way around trees and smothered all other noises.

Like assailing flames of a fire, growing bigger with passion and courage as its kindling, the wisps of their mutual lullaby stretched out into the air and licked the edges of reality. Pushing, pursuing, pressing onward.

Sakura felt the magic swell in her throat with every word, a pleasant buzzing sensation that never ceased to comfort her.

She gave one last look at Lloyd. Tufty hair, fragile frame, soft face. The innocent eyes of a Chosen One.

It was better that he stayed behind, where no one could touch him or harm him. He was meant to achieve great feats of good from the seems of it. Above that, however, Sakura ached at the thought of those perfect crystal eyes imbued with the agony that death brings.

Don't think like that.

Just press onward.

Running, running, slithering, moving. Onward, onward. To the Serpentine base. To kill those jerks for every hurting her people.

Fourteen teams of Hydroscales encroached upon the Serpentine base, declaring their hypnotic tune for all to hear. It lulled the vulnerable masses, with Nya's frequency having disabled their protective helmets.

Their ears were most vulnerable of all, picking up on every note and pitch that the chorus sang and letting its infectious rhythm win over their hearts.

Submission. Without a fight, they won.

Yet they remained ever on their guard. If their information was correct, they still had the Invincibles to worry about.

Sakura scowled, though not pausing her song, at the memory of Nya speaking in the War Room.

"They're called the Invincibles. They've been fitted with chips in their brains that make them immune to any form of hypnotism, seduction, or subduing your songs might achieve. They've been injected with a serum that gives them heightened senses and strength. There aren't many of them, but they do exist and we should be careful in case we have to face some."

"Why aren't all of them Invincibles, if it makes them so powerful?"

"From what I have come to learn during investigation is that it's an extremely dangerous procedure to make someone an Invincible and most of their test subjects die. I can't remember the exact number, but I think there's no more than 50 of them currently in commission. Still, we need to watch out. That's why we need medics."  
"The Fairy has a point."  
Sakura rolled her eyes, but chose not to think how unlikely that was. The universe did have a cruel fondness for dramatic irony, and she wasn't going to dance with chance like that.

The masses of poachers advanced and complied to the commands of the song in a zombified state. It sent a shiver down Kai's back, the sight of it all giving him the sense that he was in one of those crappy zombie movies Jay always insisted upon wasting movie night on.

He shifted the helmet which weighed heavy on his head, a sense of superiority bubbling within him. He had a helmet that worked against the Hydroscales' siren song and they had pieces of disarmed trash - and it was all thanks to the genius work of his sister. God, she was freaking amazing. He really did love his little sis. He would have done, and had done, anything for her.

They chained the Serpentines together and began the hike back.

That was easy.

Perhaps, suspiciously easy.

Lloyd chuckled, looking on at the treeline and waiting for his friends to emerge victorious. "Do you hear that, Cole?"

"No," Cole said. "But I take it that's exactly your point?"  
"Bingo. So quiet, serene - to think there's actually an attack going on right now."  
"Yeah, I suppose. Maybe we were all overreacting. I mean, all this is pretty anticlimactic. And here we were all worried something bad was going to happen. They're hypnotized! Are they really going to fight back?"

"Right? And like that, I STILL have to sit back and do nothing."

"You're a medic, Lloyd. That's not nothing."  
Lloyd huffed, trying to work past his instinctive childlike nature to whine and groan and protest. "What exactly am I medic-ing?"  
"Nothing, yet."  
"Exact-"  
Lloyd was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Hydroscale colours dotted along the treeline. He gave a confident smirk. All the medics cheered in victory at the sight of every foe in chains. And without conflict, too.

Morro didn't like it. Sure, peaceful resolve was good and well. But they still had yet to figure out what they were going to do with these people. Imprison them? Kill them? Enslave them? None of those options, as enticing as the second was to him, were viable or humane - by Lloyd's standards. Morro wouldn't have complained if they had just gone down the line and slitted every enemy's throats - perhaps sparing Rover of course. He was on the enemy team, but at the end of it all he wasn't that bad of a guy. Just mixed in with the wrong crowd.

But when you're stuck sharing a mind with a supposed 'Chosen One', symbol of all that is good and pure, one's mindset does tend to evolve accordingly. In their short time, Lloyd had become his conscience. That voice in the back of his mind saying that no, it's not okay to throw you neighbour's dog at your neighbour just because he let it pee on your porch again, okay fine, if you have to get out your aggression at least gently shoo it back to its owner's yard like a normal per- Morro that's not what I meant, stop it, this is illegal on so many levels and if I had control over my body I'd call the police, and yes I understand you don't care but I happen to quite like dogs and you're being a douche-face.

Morro trudged on, wrapping the end of the chain around his metal fist. He gave it a good yank, which tugged a whole line of captives forward. They didn't and couldn't care, though, as their minds were being expertly controlled by the Hydroscales.

All the Serpentines were gathered in town square, the song not yet over.

The song was so...soothing. The Serpentines couldn't help it, not for their own good. The lyrics told them to sleep, sleep, sleep, and that's exactly what they did. Their eyelids drooped and one by one, they fell gradually into blissful slumber.

Once they had all dropped, the Hydroscales felt it was safe to conclude their song. Sakura didn't waste a moment to launch herself at Lloyd, flinging her arms around him and cheering with what was left of her voice that they did it.

"We did it!" Lloyd and Sakura exclaimed in unison.

Morro stood back and watched the embrace half-longingly, gave a pretend-apathetic wave and celebrated with a monotone, "Woohoo."  
Kai ran in and Nya ran in, and Garmadon and Wu and Dareth and Gayle. Cole swept them all up in his giant arms, squeezing them tight. Ronin and Morro watched the spectacle, with Julien readying the camera to make the moment last.

"I know you want to," Ronin said.

"I know you want to, too," Morro replied.

"Nah, I'm fine where I am. But I know that look in your eyes. We won. Don't be so glum."  
"There are a lot more reasons to be glum than I think you realize, Ronin."  
A shared sigh. "Just like old times. Isn't it?"  
"Yeah, it is."

"I remember when we were like that - the four of us, I mean. You, me, Dareth, and Gayle."

Morro shook his head. "Those times are over, though. The War took that from us."  
Ronin's eyes turned distant as he stroked his 5 o'clock shadow. "The War took a lot of things from us, sure."  
Cole refused to listen to the many shouts of protest to let them go because they couldn't breathe, and Nya sprayed him in the face with a cool blast of water. There was laughter, playful fighting, and a general mist of joy around them.

Ronin continued. "But it didn't take everything."  
Morro opened his robot mouth to ask what his old friend meant, but a sound of chaos stopped him in his place.

"Playtime's over, freaks," retorted a nasty voice. "I think we've played a sufficient amount of pretend. Wouldn't you say so, Mister Raggmunk and Mister Blunck?"  
"Always, Miss Machia," said another voice.

"Let's do some real fighting," said a third.

Everyone turned their heads to see who it was that had spoken. Before them stood a trio, broken chains at their feet and eerily-coloured hair atop their heads.

Everyone assumed fighting stances as the three advanced upon their kidnappers.

"Invincibles!" Nya hissed.

The first voice, a darkly disturbed woman with striking red hair, laughed. "Oh, that won't do. We are called 'Invincibles', sure...but we prefer the term 'Vermillion Warriors'. Doesn't that sound so much more intimidating?"  
"It's got a real ring to it, Miss Machia," said the second voice.

"Absolutely," said the third.

"Now that you've led us here," Miss Machia said. "Shall we do a little bit of fighting?"  
No one thought three 'Vermillion Warriors' could stand much a chance against an army.

Yet here they were, sidestepping attacks and conquering the most formidable of opponents the Hydroscales had to offer.

Punch. Kick. Stab. Magic blast. Water. Fire. Rock.

Everyone, non-Hydroscales included, launched themselves. But they were thrown back. Time. And time. Again.

Kick. Punch. Punch. Stab.

Weak. Injured. In too much pain to get up.

He held them back with his cane. He was too frail for this.

They circled, like the Hydroscales had done so around the Serpentine base. They backed him in a corner. No one could help him or defend him.

"Stay...away…" Garmadon groaned. He clutched his gut and rose to his feet. How the hell had their army been subdued in a matter of seconds? How?!

Miss Machia had her captive held against her, knife at his throat and threatening to dig deeper. The captive struggled, struggled, struggled…

Too weak.

"You'll let us leave with this weak thing here," said Miss Machia. "Or he suffers the consequences."  
"No...he's my family…my bo-" A sigh. Too much pain to continue. Garmadon slumped, unable to speak.

Mister Blunck chuckled. "Should I finish them off before they strike, Miss Machia?"  
"Not quite yet Mister Blunck. Her voice was cool and dangerous. She returned to speaking to her audience. "Think about it. You want us gone and away anyways. You would suffer no damages - aside from maybe missing this old chap here, but family members can be easily replaced - if you let us take a boat and disappear like the wind."  
Garmadon's eyes were wet with defeat. Not him, not someone he had spent so much time with. Someone he had such a deep connection to. Someone he would have done anything for.

But Miss Machia had already whisked away Garmadon's dearest deepest beloved. The invincible warriors left as fast as they had come, and no one had much a say in the matter.

The Vermillion Warriors dragged along their victim as they got a boat and set sail for the mainland.

Maybe it was fate.

Maybe this was the way it was meant to be.

Maybe they would come for him. He knew they would. They were a hot-blooded troop, and he had no doubt they'd rescue him.

Or maybe it was all about to go horribly wrong for him.

Maybe Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon's suffering had only just begun.


	48. The Glass Dragon: Part 2

**I would have posted this chapter sooner, but this scene holds a special place in my heart and I wanted to make sure I did it right. So here we are. What may well be one of the most controversial chapters in this whole fic. It's also probably the most anticipated. I know I could have done a lot better on this monumental chapter, but this is the best I can do at this very moment.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
**

 **TheAmberShadow - I'm doing great, you? You'll find out part of what Glass Dragon means in this chapter. She might, she might not. I'm not even sure if she does. I plan on finding that out as I write. Oh, but Kai's gonna have a hard time here in a bit. Trust me.**

 **Ebony umbreon - It is! Wow, smart. Yep, the Vermillion experiments are indeed headed by the Time Twins. Haha, just wait till the end of this chapter. I've been saving up this moment of tormenting Lloyd since I started planning this story. I love putting him through hell :)**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Well they're not grown up, but his friends were in fact Gene and Brad. Haha! Honestly, I'm just waiting to get a feel for how summer's going to be before I commit to a schedule. I'm thinking every 2-5 days or so, but we'll wait and see how busy I am. When I know, I'll probably let you all know what the update schedule will look like. Just read the chapter, and you'll find out what Glass Dragon means.**

 **Anonymous7 - Thanks :) We're approaching the climax, so I'd hope it's getting intense. Yeah, that makes sense. And that's actually really interesting. If you don't mind my asking more about your spiritual beliefs? I'm genuinely intrigued. If you want to, of course. Yay, Detective Conan! Haha! But actually, please don't read my fic just yet. I read over it recently and was cringing the whole way through. I plan on creating a newer, better fic in the future.**

 **The Major of Ninjago City - It'll only get worse from here, I'm sorry!**

 **DISCLAIMER:**

 **The following chapter contains fighting, guns, corpses, blood, getting hurt, and death. It's very dark, gritty, and intense. If you dislike those sorts of things, or are discomforted at any point while reading, please skip to the end of the chapter where I have a chapter recap that will tell you everything you missed. Thanks!**

 **And..enjoy!**

* * *

Kai Smith. Fire Fairy. Age 16. Social media mogul. Mild narcissist. Rambunctious and impulsive, yet also somehow the mom friend. May seem like a tough lady's man with an untamed temper, and he certainly he was, but he would ask if you've eaten and if you'd like a snack (his sister was an excellent cook) before pummeling your face into the mud. Despite his often superficial attitude and ego, he was extremely protective of those he loved.

With such a repertoire of personality traits, no one was surprised to see him flying out the first chance he got. Lloyd was in danger, after all.

Those Vermillions had done him in. They had done everyone in, really, but him especially. His eye was swollen, bruises would soon emerge over his cracked ribs and bloodied face, and Nya could have sworn she saw his fingers bent out of place.

And, true to that spitfire character of his, he went out nonetheless.

Kai couldn't stand. Julien wanted him to stay so he could fix what was at best a sprained ankle, but the Fairy was determined to go out there and bring Lloyd home.

Morro, yet another hotblooded individual who cared for young Lloyd Garmadon - arguably moreso than Kai - wanted to join in on the chase. However, there was a resounding 'no' when he proposed participating.

If Kai was done in, then Morro was brought to near death. But he couldn't die. He was the ghost in the machine, a spectre given an unkillable robot body. But while he was unkillable, he could still be brutally maimed.

Wires dangled and sparked, limbs drooped at his sides with his inner workings exposed. His metal skin was torn off, gears misplaced, and more than a few glitches frying his ghostly brain. In such a state, Morro would have only hindered their efforts.

They watched the boat drift off to sea, contemplating whether they should follow after it. They were given stern warning from that Miss Machia woman to let the Vermillions pass with Lloyd in tow, and everyone feared that one misstep could end dear Lloyd's life.

Sakura wanted to fight those mother-duckers that dared harm the Chosen One. Being fated for great things, Lloyd was protected by destiny - and also by premature feelings in Sakura's heart.

"Well what do you suggest we do then?!"

"I don't know! But a boat would be too noticeable, and they have underwater cannons that they could kill us with if we swam!"  
"We could fly?"  
"Right, but only Nya and Kai can do tha- Kai?"  
Everyone looked around, but all trace of him left was a small pinkish red dot twinkling in the sky. He had left for Lloyd without them, and he had done so despite knowing how pissed they would be.

The wind slapped his face, eyes stung with a salty breeze that only kindled his rage. While everyone else was dilly-dallying, trying to make PLANS, Lloyd was in the middle of being kidnapped! This warranted immediate and impulsive action, which was exactly Kai's specialty.

Lloyd was indeed being kidnapped, and it was indeed a situation he would have liked to leave as soon as possible. Although, if Lloyd had only known what would result from Kai's decision, he might have opted to wait it out.

The boat was an average Serpentine vessel. It was made of metal, and because most of the Serpentines were back at Melody Island it was fairly desolate. This fact made it only easier to land without being seen.

A quick visual sweep of the deck told Kai that Lloyd was probably down below, cowering and afraid no doubt.

That prediction was true, somewhat. Lloyd was bound by rope and chains. His eyes darted every which way. His mind fell into a state of reminisce, recalling all the he suffered at the hands of chains before. That dark, dim cell in that dark, evil circus. Doing such dark, deviled things to him. But he had to be brave. Help was on the way. He knew that much. For that reason, Lloyd was not cowering. He was just afraid.

Kai floated below deck in a flash, wasting no moment to find his stolen friend. Dark, dark, dark. His only source of light came from his wings, which cast a sunset tint against the walls.

Shadows danced, faint voices murmured in the distance, his heart throbbed into his ears and in the backs of his eyes.

"K-Kai?" came a voice.

He jolted and spun his head around. "Lloyd!" Kai used his superior strength (though not superior to Cole's) to break the ropes. The chains were a whole other headache, one he cured by heating them up with his fire powers and then dunking them in a nearby pail of water. He thought back to when he was little and would help his mother clean the dishes by racking them up in the dishwasher.

" _Careful now, Kai. Don't want to put these two glasses too close together. You know heat makes them expand, and then when they get cooled they start to shrink. All that expanding and shrinking causes cracks, and we don't want our dishes to get cracked."  
_ He whispered a thank you to his late mother for that advice when the chains cracked as expected, then embraced Lloyd briefly.

"Are you hurt?"  
"I'm fine now," Lloyd answered. "Where is everyone else?"  
Kai helped the blondie onto his feet. "Just me."

Lloyd rolled his eyes as Kai led him up to the deck. "I should've expected that."

When they emerged, Lloyd presented yet another criticism. "So what's your plan, Kai?"  
"Plan? What plan?"

The Fairy's laughter was cut short by the presence of a Vermillion. If Lloyd remembered right, this was Mister Blunck.

"You! Trying to escape?!"  
Kai smirked. "Try and stop us."

He whisked Lloyd by the hands. He was strong enough to lift Lloyd, but barely. Wings fluttered. Off the ground. Into the sky. Fly.

"Miss Machia! Mister Raggmunk! Come quick!"

Mister Blunck pulled out a gun. Bam! Bam! Bam!

Dodge. Flutter. Fly. Bam!

Kai used a stream of explicits to tell Lloyd how heavy he was.

Backup arrived.

"Shoot them down," Miss Machia said. "But we don't really need them, so don't try TOO hard. Killing is a just a bonus, after all."  
"Of course, Miss Machia." Bam! Bam!

Dodge. Flutter - Bam! - "AaAaHhH!"  
"Kai!"

A flurry of colours. Shades of red. Wounded. Falling.

Wind pushed, gravity pulled. Kai and Lloyd both screamed.

Lloyd hated to use his other half, but there was no choice right now. They were falling, falling, falling fast. No time. Just act. Just breathe. Just…

Transform.

Kai wasn't sure how it happened. One minute he was falling to his almost-certain watery death, with his golden-haired friend sharing his circumstance. The next…?

Glittery wisps of gold swirled into spirals and spun about him, threads of fantasy and magic weaving into his skin. A flash, and Lloyd was gone.

In his place was a large, golden dragon.

"What the hell?!", or some variation of the phrase, popped out the mouths of all four people watching the spectacle.

An entrancing look in the dragon's eyes lulled Kai into a calm mind, and convinced him to climb onto the dragon's back.

He clutched the hardened, scratched, glimmering scales of the dragon's back as they soared away from the water's surface.

"Lloyd?!" Kai asked between pain-stricken laughs and over the roaring wind.

The dragon gave an embarrassed snort as confirmation, its sky-serpent body flying to safety.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

"Lloyd! Dodge!"

The dragon didn't have to be told to elegantly curve around the bullets shot at it, which had become more frequent and better-aimed. More passionate.

"A Dragon Morph, hmm?" This piqued Miss Machia's interest. "We might need the boy after all. Keep shooting. Only now...shoot to kill."  
"Yes ma'am."

"Will do, Miss Machia."  
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Dodge. Dodge. Dodge. Do-

This time, the bullet didn't miss. But the scales were strong enough to hold out.

Kai laughed. They wouldn't be able to get shot down. Lloyd's scales were too tough for that. They were indestructible. Infallible. Invincible.

The dragon, Lloyd, knew very well that they were very much all three of those things, and he could feel all his vulnerabilities itching away.

It didn't take long for Kai to see them, too. Patches. Big ones. Big patches where scales were supposed to go, but where scars were instead. Had...had someone taken them? Dragon scales were quite the commodity after all, and ones this beautiful were sure to sell. Was this the past Lloyd kept so tight-lipped about?

No time to think, only to fight and escape and - bam bam bam! All bullets missed.

"Are you both blind or just incompetent?"

"Pardon?"  
Miss Machia cleared her throat and rephrased. "The little Morph is getting away, and how many bullets have you two wasted shooting at clouds?!"

"It's harder than it looks, Miss Machia."  
"I'd like to see you do better."  
Miss Machia stole the gun from Mister Raggmunk's hands. "Watch me."

"Lloyd! Move!"  
Aim.

"Move it, she's gonna shoot!"  
Fire.

BAM!

The sound echoed through Lloyd's dragon heart, and through what might have been his lower gut. It rattled in his brain, and in the sticky blue liquid spilling from the wounds. Dragon blood.

A monstrous, remorseful, agonized roar came from Lloyd's dragon snout.

Careening back down. Falling, twisting, screaming.

"LLOYD!"  
Kai wanted to do something, but he was too small and too injured. His chest boiled with fury and worry. His mind was filled with fuzzy TV static and mile-a-minute thoughts as Lloyd directed them towards an island.

Melody Island? No, too small and not in the right place.

Their way down was anything but steady, Lloyd's motor skills becoming sloppier as he lost more and more blood.

Kai cringed. Smacked in the face with a branch. And another. Tumbling. Struggling to hold on to Lloyd amidst the chaos of a crash-land. Trying, struggling, just barely…

Failing.

Falling.

He somehow survived, against all odds. A part of him wished he hadn't. A part of him wouldn't for much longer.

Kai Smith rose to his feet, stumbled on his way up, and clutched his wounds. The rips in his wings would heal, but that would take time. He grimaced, he looked at the sky, he looked at the trees around him…

There. Laying limp, tossed carelessly over a tree branch, was a dragon. The branch and surrounding foliage was quickly stained with fatal ink. More of those gold wispy spirals surrounded him, light burst from his chest, and then the dragon was replaced by a boy.

"Lloyd!"

Running. Limping. He limped over as fast as he could. He pulled Lloyd down, checked his neck for a pulse, sighed with relief.

"Lloyd, speak to me. Are you okay?"  
A pause.

A weak chuckle. "Never better. You?"  
Kai's eyes crinkled with a film of Fairy tears, Lloyd's battered and bloody body cradled in his arms. Kai was hurt too, and he wished he had someone who could cradle HIM in THEIR arms, but now wasn't the time.

He draped the Dragon Morph's limp body over his shoulders after retracting his shredded wings, and began to walk.

"Whe...where are we-we...g-going?" asked Lloyd. His eyes were almost closed, his heart almost slowed to a stop, his arms loose around Kai's neck.

"To the beach," Kai said. "I figure help will get to us sooner if they can...actually see us." His facade was slipping, but he pulled it taut before it revealed his hidden pain. Best not to let that happen again, not when Lloyd needed him most.

The life was draining out of both of them, with only the sounds and beauty of nature to comfort them. Normally, the trees and the light rays spilling from between the leaves and the sounds of wildlife served to calm Lloyd. Now it only made him anxious. It accentuated just how alone and deserted they were. How long it would take for help to arrive. How much sooner it would take for the Vermillions to find them and...Lloyd couldn't think about it.

He couldn't think of really anything, aside from the gripping sensation that one feels when they get shot and then promptly falls from the sky. Kai felt it too, but not in his mind.

"So you're a Dragon Morph, huh?"  
"mm."  
"That's...that's pre-pretty neat, man."  
"mm."  
"H-how are you...how are you hanging back there?" His facade continued to slip. It couldn't slip, it never slipped. He was always strong and brave and now was no different. Come on, Kai. Be stronger. Protect him.

"mm."  
"That's not...an answer, Lloyd. How bad is it?"  
"...bad…"  
Kai halted to shift the position of Lloyd's supple near-corpse on his back. "Don't worry, bud. I'll get us out of this."  
"you...better…"  
A snicker. He kept walking, not even sure which direction to start off in. "But you have to...to do your part too, Lloyd."  
"mm?"

"Promise me you'll hold on till we reach the beach."  
"mmm…."  
"Promise me. Lloyd. Lloyd!"  
"i...i promise." Kai shuddered at the sound of Lloyd's voice. It was so ghostly, so distant. He loathed all his intrusive thoughts of what that could mean. Nothing. It meant nothing. Everything would be fine. It had to be fine.

He kept his mind and Lloyd's mind busy with small talk. The weather, how beautiful the forest was, what time he supposed it was, how Zane and Jay might have been doing, and even his own past. Lloyd just listened, or half-listened, or just let it go past deaf ears. Kai couldn't tell which one it was, but at least he had Lloyd's fading warmth to comfort him.

Stars started to speckle the sky, and through the dense canopy bright blue turned into a dark navy. They'd been walking for hours it seemed, with Kai's wounds getting more and more painful with each step, and Lloyd getting more and more quiet as the minutes passed. He tried his best to pick up the pace. To the beach, to the beach, to the beach, to the-

Sand squelched between his toes. Waves crashed into his ears with their peaceful melody. The tide drew in an out, in and out. The moon was missing, but his way was still dimly lit by the stars.

Kai collapsed to his knees with an exasperated sigh or relief. "We're here, Lloyd. We're here."  
He set Lloyd down, and he set himself down. "Lloyd, we made it."  
Lloyd was too far gone to respond. "Lloyd?"  
The blood wasn't. His chest wasn't moving. It hadn't been for hours. He was so still, so lifeless, so cold.

Kai checked for a pulse, frowned, checked again, checked again, checked again, whimpered, checked again, shook his friend, and checked again. Again. Maybe this time. Again. Again.

Every single time, Lloyd's heart failed to respond. Nothing. Empty.

Kai had no strength to cry. To scream to the heavens and whatever cruel forces decreed this. To pound his fists against the sand. To be angry at Lloyd for breaking his promise. All he could do was lay beside Lloyd's stiff body, limbs sprawled out and blood crusted to his clothes. Kai stared at the sky, unable to move. He couldn't even move his friend away from the rising tides that threatened to wash them both out to sea. He couldn't care. Lloyd was dead. He was alive. And he was too weak - weak, weak, so weak, what a stupid little weakling he was - to even wish that he had died in his friend's place.

* * *

 **CHAPTER RECAP**

 **So Kai decided to be, well, Kai, and go after Lloyd all on his own. Typical Kai maneuver, amiright? In any case, he got to the Vermillion ship, rescued Lloyd, and prepared to fly them both back to Melody Island (he's a Fairy so he can do that, okay). But! It wouldn't be true to my writing style if something didn't go horribly wrong. The Vermillions weren't really all that keen on letting Lloyd get away, so they shot at our little friends. Kai got shot, and they started falling. But Lloyd was like, no way jose, and decided to use his magical Morph powers to save the day. Turns out he's a Dragon Morph. Surprise! But he's also missing a lot of his scales, probably because of all the bad stuff the circus put him through. Dragon scales are, as expected, very valuable after all. So Miss Machia took advantage of his scale-less spots and shot him twice. Oh no! They up and crash-landed on an island. Kai used his smarticle particles to determine that help will come to them faster if help can actually see them. So, naturally, it's on to the beach they go. But oh crap, Kai's wings were damaged in the crash. Looks like there's no flying here. Lloyd transformed back into his human form, and Kai carried him through the forest. When they finally got to the beach, Kai discovered Lloyd had been dead for hours and was carrying his corpse around this whole time. Well that sucks, doesn't it?**

 **So yeah. Tune in next time for the third and final part to the Glass Dragon arc. After this it's smooth sailing towards the climax of the story. Are ya ready kids?  
Seeya around!**

 **~Erio**


	49. The Glass Dragon: Part 3

**I will warn you ahead of time, this chapter was one hell of a doozy to write so I'll expect it to be even more of a doozy to read. Not that it's confusing, except that it is. You'll understand what's happening, but not really why. Don't hate me, please. I promise I'll explain in due time.**

 **So yeah. Here comes the final part of our amazing Glass Dragon arc! Onward to some intense plot, discoveries, and conflict that I hope you all will enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
TheAmberShadow - Yeah, perhaps I should have toned down the foreshadowing to make the death more surprising and impactful. But I can promise you that nothing will prepare you for what's about to happen in THIS chapter. **

**elveron294 - Haha! You're welcome! Here is the next chapter as requested, but it's not what you might expect :)**

 **CHEESEPUFF - I wasn't planning on including Brad and Gene in the story, but if you want I can have another look-see at the plot and find a way to put them in. I actually haven't given their circumstances much though. What do you think should become of them? YEP! You did? Oh my God, you have no idea how huge the smile was when I read that last part of your comment! I had to read it over a few times. Recommendations?! MY story? Holy living hell, you are a wonderful person and I love you.**

 **Ninalb - I can't say whether it'll get worse or better from here on, but welcome back I guess? Yep, dead as a door nail. Not coming back. This chapter might have you believing otherwise, but Lloyd is in fact VERY DEAD. Thanks!**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City - Yeah, I can imagine.**

 **Ebony umbreon - Yep. 100% muerto, my good buddy. Not coming back. Which is why this next chapter will be at least mildly confusing. No, I'm afraid there's no afterlife battles. That would've been cool, though.**

 **Anonymous7 - No, not coming back. Sort of. But not really. It's hard to explain without giving it away just yet. Wow. That's actually extremely similar to my own beliefs. In Islam, forgive me if this sounds preachy or boring, we believe that Christianity, Islam and Judaism are essentially different drafts of the same religion. No belief system is without its merits, unless you believe in killing babies because that's just messed up man. I too believe in Big Bang and in God and in all that fun stuff. I don't observe sabbath and I do believe in hell, but those are the only differences I see in our beliefs. Neat-o magneto if I do say so myself :)**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

It went without words that everyone was worried. As waves lapped against the sides of the boat, rocking it to side as they braved the restless midnight ocean, a previously unfamiliar tension wafted through the air.

No one said anything - not Morro, whose robot equivalent of wounds Julien was still nursing; certainly not Garmadon or Wu, who stared down the inky and unseeable horizon for any signs that maybe, just maybe, Kai and Lloyd were still out there and safe; not Nya, who was busy beating herself up about everything that had gone horribly awry over the past few months while steering the ship; not Cole, who was filling his rock body with comfort food that failed to do much comforting; not Gayle or Dareth or Ronin, who silently huddled in a corner together, with Gayle and Dareth holding each other and Ronin keeping a close protective eye on the two; and certainly not Sakura.

Sakura was an interesting case, that much was established. She knew she should have stayed back with her people, upholding her responsibilities as an heiress to her father's position and nobility as the leader. Yet here she was, clinging to the side of the boat and straining her Hydroscale eyes for any possible sign that Lloyd and Kai were safe and well.

None of them knew what was to come, and none of them knew that miles and miles away was a troubled Zane babbling on about how it was too late, too late, and how they couldn't stop the inevitable, and that Lloyd was dead and it was too late to save his Chosen One - but not to worry of course, because he had taken up a new Chosen One and that One would fulfill the destiny of the first.

"Are you sure of what you saw, Sakura?"

Sakura jumped, startled by the sudden presence of noise beyond that of the ocean's turmoil. She spun around to see Wu standing there, armed with a grave face and a staff to lean on.

She eased at the sight of the old man. "Oh, hey Wu. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I saw them crash-land in that direction." Sakura pointed for what must have been the 50th time in the direction their boat was headed: a distant and remote island, but the blackness of night hid it away from view.

"Tell me again, if you may."  
Sakura heaved her chest in a sigh. She really didn't want to, but she knew it comforted him to hear the story.

"Kai fluttered off, far away into the distance. I couldn't see what happened all too well since they were getting farther by the minute, but I COULD see something fall into an area I know very well to be an island. No one lives there, though it's at least a hospitable environment."  
Wu's breath hitched like it did every time she told the story, and his face softened, and his hands shook anciently. He turned his face to the sky and closed those striking eyes of his. "Thank you, Sakura." Something was still wrong.

The Hydroscale placed a caring hand on his shoulder. "You still got something on your mind, don't you?"  
He nodded, solemn and silent.

"Want to talk about it?"  
Wu loathed to share his innermost workings and conflicts, but he was desperate and really would have liked to get this issue with his nephew off his chest.

A laboured breath. "As the hours pass on, my hope of finding Kai and Lloyd alive begins to wither. I'm certain you know what you saw, and I trust your conviction. I trust we'll find them on that island, as you believe. I'm just worried for what condition we might find them in."  
Sakura's lips were graced with a smile as she removed her hand from Wu's shoulder. "It's going to be fine, Wu. Lloyd is a Chosen One, if Julien and his son are right. He might be a bit banged up - undesirable, but understandable - but he'll at least be alive."  
Lloyd had actually been dead for a few hours, but no one but Kai, Zane, and...a mysterious third person...knew that.

Wu was about to press on with the heart-wrenching details of his anguish, but he was stopped short by a -

"Land ho! Land ho!"  
"Is that the island you saw them land on?"  
"I didn't see them land on this island per se, it was a bit too far away, but I saw them fall into an area I know to be this island here."  
"Oh God, if Kai's not alright I'm gonna punch him so hard."  
"I think it'll just be good to see them again."  
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We don't know what condition they're in just yet. If Sakura's story is true, then no one could have survived such a fall."  
"Of COURSE they're alright, Garmadon. I can feel it in my bones."  
"I'm not certain how credible your bones are, Dareth."  
Wu was swept up in a current of lively chatter and eager bodies, all swarming together as the island grew closer and closer and closer.

He frowned, and tried to ignore the troubled knot in his gut. It didn't work.

There were two silhouettes on the shore, illuminated only by a small fire between them, and such a thing got everyone hooting and hollering with joy.

"Kai! Lloyd! Kai! Lloyd!"  
Their heads perked up, one of them rising to their feet to greet the boat. "You came!" shouted the person, though it was hard to tell who it was.

"Of course we did, silly!" Sakura found herself replying.

Garmadon interjected. "Are you two alright?! Are you hurt?!"  
A pause. "I'm fine, Dad, but Kai's not doing so hot!"  
All eyes darted to the other shadow, still sitting by the fire. As if on cue, said shadow cupped his mouth with one hand and shouted, "Stop lying, I'm doing great! It's just a few scratches!"  
"You got shot, Kai! That's more than a few scratches!"  
"I've had far worse! I'm so great I could take you on right here, right now!"  
"What are you going to do, bleed on me?!"  
"Given how queasy you can get, I very well could and still win!"  
The boat audience laughed at their banter, and every who was able-bodied enough jumped off their sea vessel the moment it hit the sand.

Cole and Sakura were the first off, followed by Nya, then Garmadon and Dareth and Gayle. Morro wanted to join in, but his groans of protest were cut off by Julien's insistence that he put the ghost-turned-robot cop back together first. Ronin was making his way to the beach too, but he took his time scanning the circumstances before taking action. Wu watched on with longing, wishing that this feeble and aged body of his would allow him to jump off a boat and do other agile things like that.

Everyone dog-piled who they thought was Lloyd, tackling him to the ground.

"You're alright!"  
"We were worried sick about you!"  
"I'll make those Vermillions pay!"  
"It's too good to see you!"  
"Don't ever leave my sight again, young man!"

"I won't, Dad, I promise."  
Nya held a flashlight up to Lloyd to get a better look at him. He was in total mint condition. Not a scratch, not a scrape, not a bruise. Not even a single hair was pulled out of place, and everything about him seemed to illogically...perfect. She knew her brother would play a part in keeping Lloyd for the most part unharmed, but this flawlessness was far beyond Kai's scope.

The only thing that wasn't so impeccably imperfect about him was a strange new fragility his features seemed to have adopted. Nya kept that thought aside until she could understand it better.

"What happened?"

Everyone got off him, and he dusted himself off. "Let's go see Kai first." The horde of people obeyed, and rushed to the other silhouette's side.

They let Nya have her sole embrace with her brother. Besides, with his many wounds it wasn't the best idea to dogpile him anyways.

 **{Author's note: this scene is a bit dark, as I will be describing his many wounds. He was shot in the previous chapter, so that is also going to be described. The gore is limited to this scene alone, which is why I didn't censor the whole chapter. I'll let you know when it's done if you don't want to read this. Just know he's really, really badly hurt but, true to his nature, he's not gonna show it.}**

One eye was swollen shut, and the other one threatened to follow suit. His clothes were torn and tattered, the cloth ripped in all the right places to reveal bruises, cuts, scrapes, and where there were no skin abrasions, discolouring and evident bone damage.

He cringed when Nya hugged him, so she backed off. Then her eyes fluttered down to his gut.

A dark crimson pool stained his shirt and skin, and small flecks of the stuff peppered the sand. Well, peppered wasn't quite the right word.

Blood was absolutely everywhere, but the bleeding looked like it was stopping. Nya's hands quivered when she discovered they had been covered in the red paint that leaked from the abdomen of her kin. So warm, so sickening, so saddening, so enraging.

He tried not to let her see the way he gritted his teeth, the way he flinched upon the slightest touch, the way his eyes were somehow empty and drained of life, the mysterious gauze wrapping his gut, and the sloppy stitch-work underneath that had been done by someone he didn't want to talk about. The more she didn't know, the better.

She both wanted to get back at the horrible monsters who did this to HER brother, but at the same time never wanted to see their vile faces again.

For now, all Nya could do was use her water powers to wash the blood away, and grip Kai by his - also bloody - shoulders.

 **{Okay, the scene is over. You can keep reading now.}**

"What happened?" she asked, voice almost as hollow as Kai felt.

He looked away. "I went and rescued him. I got shot down. We crashed here. We came to the beach in the hopes you'd find us sooner. You did. Now you're here, everything's great. Let's go get something to eat now, I'm starving."  
Nya didn't buy the act she was all too acquainted with. "Bro. You can't fool me. Something's up."  
Kai wouldn't budge. "Nothing's up but the sky, little sis. I think you're delirious with worry. My disappearing act undoubtedly had you all in chaos, I'm sure. Let's just go back, go somewhere safe, and forget this ever happened. Let's go home, Nya."  
The Water Fairy swallowed. "You don't mean...HOME home, do you?"  
He nodded. She gasped. Everyone else watched grimly.

"We'll plan our next move later," Garmadon interrupted. "But for now, Kai, you need your wounds treated. Julien is still in the ship, I'm sure he could put his expertise into patching you up."  
Kai didn't want to run the risk of Julien finding something while fixing Kai, or rather, the disturbing LACK of a certain something that would have all his friends in an uproar to know why it was missing. Then he'd have to explain what happened in great, agonizing detail, and to be honest that was a situation he would have liked to avoid.

Ronin knew, though. He saw that shine in Kai's eyes. He knew what was wrong. He knew that, unlike Ronin's own situation, a deadly force wasn't keeping Kai from telling the truth. It was his own darn pride that sealed his lips. And that made Ronin's blood boil.

He reigned it in, though, and made a mental note to confront Kai about it later. Kai wouldn't be too happy, but the fiery little twerp deserved it if Ronin's theory was correct.

Cole swept Kai off the log he sat on, without warning, bridal style. Kai fumed, Cole ignored, and the group returned to the boat.

The other survivor, who knew he was Lloyd despite the foreign throbbing in his head that told him otherwise, gasped at the sight of Morro.

Julien was in the process of replacing one of Morro's arms, and many of his wires and gears were still out of place. He looked worlds better than before, but it was still enough to make Lloyd upset.

Morro could only imagine how Lloyd would react if he had seen him before Julien started putting him back together like he was some god-dang puzzle.

"Welcome aboard," the robot cooed.

"Morro!"  
Lloyd was about to pounce on his friend with glee and worry, but a sharp look from Julien warded him off.

"It's good to see you're in one piece, my boy," said Julien, once his glare subsided. "Impossibly so, at that."  
"I'd give an arm and a leg to look that good," Morro remarked. "But as you may have noticed, I don't exactly have and arm and a leg to give."  
Lloyd would have laughed if that were only funny, but it wasn't and Lloyd instead glowered at him like a mother about to scold her child for being so reckless. Sometimes, that was exactly the kind of relationship those two shared.

But the boy bit his tongue and said, "I'm just glad you're okay" in what may have been the most passive aggressive tone Morro had heard in his life...and he fancied himself KING of passive aggressive tones.

Nya took the wheel once more, no longer needing Sakura to give her navigation advice because she knew her way now. Didn't bother Sakura, she was more interested in hearing what was probably going to be a colourful tale of adventure from Lloyd anyways.

"So what happened?" Sakura asked.

"I'd like to know too," Morro chimed in, rolling his shoulders to test out the integrity of his newly replaced arm.

Lloyd pursed his lips and sat on the floor of the deck. "My memory's spotty at best about everything, so I don't really have much to tell." He shook a bad feeling from his chest, a feeling that told him a bullet was supposed to be right there nestled between his ribs, before continuing. "I can't remember farther than Kai getting shot. He says we crashed on that island there." He stopped to point at the strange spot of land he had been a temporary resident of not moments before, watching as it got smaller and smaller the farther they went.

"But you obviously have reservations about that," Morro said.

"Y-yeah." Lloyd looked down at his hands. "Why am I uninjured? Falling onto an island is sure to have consequences, but I don't have a scratch on me. The Vermillions roughed me up quite a bit, too, but none of the bruises I got from them are here either. And then there's the…" He put a hand over his mouth. "Never mind."  
The expectant look from his listeners said that they weren't going to just accept his 'never mind' and move on.

Sigh. "I doubt any of you would understand."  
Julien was the one to speak this time. "I wouldn't be so sure, Lloyd. All three of us have had some pretty topsy-turvy lives, if I do say so. My son turned into a future-seeing ice Creature, before being taken away from me. Now I'm embarking on an adventure with his friends, who are all other Creatures going on a secret mission to infiltrate the ranks of the syndicate that took my child away from me in the first place. I've spent the past few years alone in a lighthouse with only my inventions and occasional visits to Melody Island - an island filled with snake-people of legend - to accompany me. I'd understand more than you might give me credit for."  
Sakura joined in too. "And I'm one of those 'snake-people of legend', heiress to a throne, who was kidnapped by the same people who took Julien's ice-baby away from him and transformed into Hydroscale-Fairy Hybrid, but not long before returning to my home, meeting up with you guys, and having the village healer separate my essences. I've seen things, Lloyd."  
Morro figured it was only reasonable for him to participate in this discussion. "I'm the Ghost of a homeless, family-less boy who spent his years on the streets who had no one there for him until he met three strange individuals who became his friends. They gave me a home, put my life together, and with their help I almost became an Olympic swimmer. But that all changed when I decided, in my blind patriotism, to take part in a bloodbath War. On the battlefield my friend was shot in the head but didn't die, for reasons I still don't know, and I was turned into a Ghost against my will. I became a cop, faced discrimination from my probably racist anti-Ghost boss who'd rather submerge me in ice water than give me a promotion and decent pay, then I was attacked by a glorified water gun that forced YOU to let me possess you for my very survival. Now, due to a string of circumstances I still struggle to wrap my head around, somehow I'm in a robot body that Julien here intended for his son and I must say it's pulled me into my fair share of existential crises these days. So try me, pretty boy. There's not much I won't understand these days."  
Lloyd gazed in awe at three individuals standing before him. His own story was also a bit of a complicated doozy, but he doubted HIS life's weirdness was at the same caliber as THEIR lives' weirdness.

He relented. "Alright, fine. If you really insist. You see, it all started when I woke up on the beach…"

* * *

 **For you poor, confused souls, I will clarify: YES. LLOYD IS DEAD. AIN'T COMING BACK, KIDDOS. HE'S NOT A GHOST, GOLEM, OR WHATEVER HAVE YOU. HIS CORPSE IS STILL ON THE ISLAND, GIVEN WHAT KAI THINKS IS A PROPER BURIAL. So how in the diggity dang is he here, talking and breathing and such? You figure it out. I gave you some clues, and more are coming on the way, and in a later chapter I do plan to explain. I can't wait to hear your theories.**

 **Until next time, seeya around!**

 **~Erio**


	50. How About You NOT

**Oh my God guys. Chapter. FIFTY. This is insane. Have I ever written a fic this long, let alone one that's this well-received and liked? You can bet your butt I haven't. I have to say I've really enjoyed this ride with you guys, and all your comments make me smile wider than you'd believe. Trust me. I didn't know people could get as happy as I do reading all your glowing praise. THANK YOU!**

 **Alright-y, but moving on from the mushy gushy stuff. That's boring. I'm here to say that I read all of your theories and I am very impressed. Quite a few of you managed to hit the nail on the head with what's up with Lloyd, and those who aren't right are extremely close. I wish I could give you all celebratory cookies, but that would give away who's right and who's not quite there yet. I also can't really give you cookies, since our relationship doesn't extend past the computer screen. But imagination is a thing, so please pretend I'm handing you each your favourite kind of cookie. Moving on!**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **TheAmberShadow - Wow, you're always the first person to comment. Thanks for that. And, I'm glad I could surprise you. I won't confirm or deny your suspicions though. You'll just have to wait and see for yourself.**

 **Anonymous7 - Please keep all hands, feet, and jaws inside the vehicle :) It's nice to see you're picking up all my subtle hints, I was worried y'all wouldn't pick up on some of those. Your answer wasn't boring. I enjoy those kinds of topics, actually. Funny. Detective Conan is actually what got me into Sherlock Holmes. But to answer your question, I found out about Detective Conan in 4th grade. My stepdad is from Morocco, and when he was a kid the Arabic version was aired on television. My sister and I were looking for new shows to watch while my mom and stepdad went on a date, so he introduced me to this show. I've been hooked ever since. It's good to hear you're liking it. Who's your favourite character so far?**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City - I am not gonna lie, I actually had to look up 'flummoxed' on Google. Such a smarty pants, using those big words.**

 **Ebony umbreon - I had the most frustration in keeping my lips shut over your review. You're so...close...to the truth...and ARGH dear God I am bad at keeping secrets. So you're making connections, huh? Good to see you're putting this puzzle together and paying attention. Even more things will make sense in the future. Aw, brilliant? Thanks :)**

 **Ninalb - Don't worry. You're not the only one who's confused. Here's the next one, as desired!**

 **Skales Jr - Well given that the only time the show gave him much value was in season six, I'd say I've pretty much hit the mark with my Jay representation. He probably does feel very insignificant. Poor guy.**

 **CHEESEPUFF - I actually hadn't noticed anything wrong about your first comment, so I'm not sure what you're apologizing for. And I'm sure you've heard this a lot from a lot of people already, but I really do give you my deepest condolences. I'm deeply, deeply sorry that the last chapter brought back some of those unsettling memories. I will try to be more sensitive with this in future chapters, and if there are any ways I can keep from crossing uncomfortable boundaries for you, please do let me know. And as much as I love reading your comments, I do understand if the subjects in this story cause you to quit reading. I may not understand on the same level that you do, since I've never encountered death in my life before, but I can sort of empathize in my own way and with my own past pains. In lighter news, I actually think you might like this new Lloyd. I dunno. I totally followed your advice with Brad and Gene, and they're actually included in this chapter here! So thank you for that. I'll probably have them meet up with Fake Lloyd in the future :)**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

"You do not have to do this, Jay," Pixal insisted. "I am certain there are other ways to...to…"  
He scowled. "To what? FIX me? Put me back to NORMAL?" He cursed under his breath. "No. It has to be this way. It's my best and only option, Pixal."

Skylor pulled a lock of hair behind her ear. "Mind at least letting us in on why you're so ornery and stubborn about this? I haven't known you all that long, but even I know that this behaviour isn't like you."  
Jay slumped in his seat at the edge of Zane's - or Echo's, the group was still struggling to determine which name to call him - hospital bed, the patient in question sleeping and unaware. "It's just…" The Bone Fairy looked down at his hands, wished he could close his eyes to block out the sight of his fingers stripped of skin. He clenched his skeletal fist, not looking up. "They all deserve more from me."  
"Elaborate," Skylor demanded.

"Please," Pixal added.

Jay didn't want to. He kept his bony mouth clamped shut, but the look his face gave was enough to clue Pixal into what he meant. She had a knack for empathy and the sort. Sort of came with the territory of being half-Wisp, she figured. But she wouldn't know. No one had ever really walked her through the ropes of using her Wisp powers, and she had none but her father to blame for that.

Skylor was THIS CLOSE to forcing out of him what he refused to share.

"I understand," said Pixal.

It took a moment before Jay realized what she meant.

"You do not have to tell us, because I think I understand what you mean."  
Jay gave a grateful nod.

"And I cannot encourage you to do this, not knowing the side effects of this treatment."  
He gave another nod, this one smaller.

"However, if that is the choice you choose then as your friend I can only help you through this from here on. Tell me what you need me to do."  
Jay leaned in to whisper into Pixal's ear, she nodded a bit, Skylor watched on with impatience and intolerance, and Pixal gave a warm smile at his mysterious requests.

"That, I can most certainly do. I wish the best of luck to you, Jay. Really."

The doctor standing in the doorway, however, was not as pleased with this interaction as the others.

With a huff he said, "So that's it, huh? Just gonna jump right in head-first?"  
Jay nodded yet again, now more chipper than the last few times. "Yep! If I can survive a little...what did you call it?"  
Another huff. "Desplazamiento de alma."

"Right. That. What does that mean again?"  
"I told you already, the hospital would fire me if I said. The only thing I can tell you without getting berated by my superiors is that 'desplazamiento de alma' is very, very, very bad. That is why I can't condone this decision in good conscience."  
Jay made face, one that would have been accompanied by a quirked eyebrow had he actually HAD eyebrows. "Then why did you suggest it to me in the first place, doc?"  
The doctor slicked back his hair out of sheer nervous habit. "Part of my contract with the hospital is that I MUST inform the patients of all treatments we provide, whether or not I agree with any of them."  
"And you don't agree with Jay going into the chamber why?" Skylor asked. She, on the other hand, COULD raise a suspicious eyebrow.

The doctor looked around to see if anyone was listening. No one was. "I used to be a Skulkin, actually."  
Pixal and Skylor's eyes widened, and Jay let out a small gasp.

The doctor's hands were smooth, tanned, and well-manicured. His silvery grey hair gripped his scalp like a mop atop his head. His squared-off face was flushed yet had plenty of substance, and under the many layers of clothing he no doubt had a decent-sized gut from all the microwave dinners - something he was very insensitive about, okay, so he didn't like people pointing it out.

All this that the man was used to be a Skulkin?!

"But...how?"  
"The treatment," was all the doctor needed to say.

It was Pixal's turn to pose a question. "But if I may ask, Doctor Wyplash, if this miracle cure works after all why are you not a fan of it?"

"There are things…" the doctor - Doctor Wyplash - said, a tinge of pained wisdom in his voice. "Things I've seen in that forsaken chamber I'd rather forget. Things happen to your mind. It leaves your body better than ever, sure, but that 'Reconstruction Chamber' does nothing but DE-constructs your mental stability. I am a broken man, miss, because of my decision to go through with the treatment. I'm sure your loved ones would rather have you skeletal than emotionally compromised and utterly traumatized."  
Skylor made a satisfied sound. "THANK YOU for agreeing with me, Doctor. See, Jay? See what I mean?"  
Jay shook his head. "Still worth it. It's still worth it. A-and you can't convince me otherwise, Skylor. I've got my mind set, and I'm ready to get some meat on my bones."  
No one laughed at his failed joke, but Pixal contemplated giving it a stifled chuckle out of pity.

Doctor Wyplash bit his lip. "If that can't convince you, I suppose I will have to bring in a friend of mine. I think he's just down the hall, let me go get him real quick."  
They waited in silence, waiting for that peculiar man to return. Pixal allowed her eyes to slip in the direction of Zane - or Echo, or Echo Zane, or whatever she was to call him now - while they waited.

There he was, with his sleeping face in a frown. The metal half sparked with broken light, life dimmed from his robot eye. His quiet whimpers told her that his dreams were probably troubling him, but the circumstances wouldn't allow her to ever find out what went on in them.

The day he got his memories back, he fell out of the memory machine and quickly into a coma. The coma lasted no more than a day, and when he finally came to...

" _Dead, dead, everyone's dead! There's-there's fire, everything's on fire! Why am I alive? I died, I watched him stab me over. And over. And over. And over and over and over and-"  
_ …

Doctor Wyplash had determined that since he was a Visionayr before, returning his memories of that life also returned to him the memory of what time looked like. Such an immense amount of knowledge and omniscience was not something his now human mind could handle. So they kept him under heavy anesthetics most of the time, only letting the drugs wear off every few hours to see if his condition was improving with time.

Speak of the devil, here he was.

"I'm back," Doctor Wyplash said. He had his hand firm on a young boy's shoulder. "Everyone, meet a young charge of mine. His name is Brad Tudabone."  
Brad Tudabone had soft, tufty black hair in a bowl cut. His eyes were big, and looked like they might have been filled with hope and wonder in another life. He wore a light blue sweater and kept his face at the ground.

"Brad, say hi."  
"H-hi."

"Their names are Pixal, Skylor, and Jay. Jay is a Skulkin, and he's considering the treatment. Tell him what you think about it."

Brad kept his empty, despair-filled eyes down but still strutted up to Jay with a surprising amount of confidence. It was only when he came to Jay that he looked up.

He heaved his chest in a solemn breath. "Don't do it." Brad's voice was stern, commanding, determined.  
Jay was taken aback by the insistence. "W-what?"  
"Don't do it," Brad repeated.

"Why not?"  
"Because it ruined Gene!" Brad wailed.

"Who's Gene?"  
"My...Gene's my friend. Doc, do I have to tell the story?"

Doctor Wyplash shrugged. "Do what you feel comfortable with. I can tell them, if it helps."  
Brad grimaced at the thought of his doctor friend butchering HIS story. "Alright, alright. So I guess I'll tell you what happened. It was a few years ago that me, Gene, and my other friend Lloyd -"

Jay couldn't stop himself. "Lloyd?"

"Yeah? What about him?"  
"N-nothing. Just a coincidence, I'm sure. Continue."  
Brad grumbled a bit at the interruption, and hoped it wouldn't happen again. "It was Halloween, and we went and decided to prank this old woman on our street for candy. Oh boy did we get a lot more than just a bit of candy. She turned out to be a mean ol' Witch."  
Skylor bristled at the statement, but didn't say anything.

The little boy before them continued. "She figured she'd punish us by turning as all into different Creatures. She took our human parts away and made Lloyd into a dragon, me into a Flower Fairy, and Gene...Gene became a Skukin."  
He took a moment to breathe, before submerging himself deeper into unpleasant memories. "Lloyd got sold off to some circus, so I don't know what happened to him. We got sold into slavery, but at least the two of us stayed together. We managed to escape about a year ago, and wound up here at this hospital. Gene heard about the same treatment you'd better not do, and he did it. Now he's human again but it's not good." Brad shook his head. "He won't talk anymore. He always looks so distant all the time, and he won't say why. When I try to bring it up, he goes into meltdown mode. He's screaming and crying and always upset."  
Pixal glanced at Zane again. She could more than relate to Brad's situation. It felt good that she wasn't the only one, but also terrible that there were others suffering the same hell she was.

"It's like he just came back from war or something," Brad added. "My mom fought in the War, so I know what soldiers are like if they've seen too much. And Gene, Gene's exactly like that."

Doctor Wyplash walked up to Brad and pulled him away from Jay. "You can go back if you want now." The tone of his voice was probably a jab at the wetness forming around Brad's eyes. Brad accepted the invitation, and shuffled out the door.

"Don't do it," he said one last time, before leaving.

Doctor Wyplash put his hands on his hips. "Gene and Brad stay at the hospital because their parents are - let's put it this way, their parents are less than kind to them. So I've taken them in. Plus, it's best if Gene stay where we can monitor and help him while he adjusts. It'll take him years to overcome the trauma that he experienced during treatment, possibly more than it took me, but either way he will never be the same. You don't want your loved ones to go through what Brad is going through, do you? The heartache, I mean."  
Jay gave a stubborn, "No. I HAVE to do this, doc. Don't even try and talk me out of it."  
A stiff sigh. "Alright, but take your time to really think about this. You don't have to rush into this, you know."  
"But I do. Take me where I need to go, doc. Let's get this show on the road already." He motioned for Skylor and Pixal to join him. Just because he was denying their advice, didn't mean he wanted to do this completely alone.

They both rose to their feet, but Pixal was held back by a voice.

"Gone but not forgotten gone but not forgotten gone but not forgotten."  
Repeating that mantra over and over, until it was pounded into her brain. Gone but not forgotten.

She looked over, and Echo/Zane was laying there. Human eye opened in a tired slit, hands trembling, mouth moving ever-so-slightly to the beat of, "Gone but not forgotten gone but not forgotten gone but not forgotten gone but -"

The doctor bit his cheek. "I'll have to get someone to put him under again. Come on, Pixal. Let's get this over with."  
Pixal hesitated, paused, looked at him, let his words whisper into her heart and soul and essence, and moved on with the rest of them in her usual graceful strides. "Let us go, shall we?"  
And so the four of them headed down the hallway, towards the Reconstruction Chambers, Jay regretting every decision he had made in his life up until this point with every step.

Except, of course, for Nya - she was a decision he could never regret. But her being his motivation for wanting to go through with this, for wanting to make her happy and give her everything she deserved in a boyfriend, didn't make what was to come any easier for him.

* * *

 **Okay, quick announcement before I let you go: can we all give a big shoutout to CHEESEPUFF? It was their idea to include Brad and Gene, and I think this chapter really benefited from their presence in the story. Thanks, friend!**

 **And with that I bid you all adieu.**

 **Seeya around!**

 **~Erio**


	51. Three is a Good Number

**Sup guys! This was originally going to be a chapter about Morro and Cole having a bonding moment, but I figured that the Melody Island team has had their own three-part arc. Glass Dragon was intense and all, sure, but Jay and Pixal's team needs a little love too. And those of you avid theorists trying to figure out what's up with Lloyd might be able to pick out the ever-so-subtle clue I sprinkled in. You're welcome :)**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Musiclover435 - Aw, thanks :) And don't worry, Zane will recover in a few chapters. **

**TheAmberShadow - Yeah, me too. Especially since summer gives me more free time than I know what to do with. I don't think there's such a thing as too many characters with mental problems. If I didn't have self-restraint, that's all that there would be in this story (I have a problem, I know). I'll let CHEESEPUFF know you said thank you.**

 **Ebony umbreon - Whaaaat? You? Close? I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't say that. You didn't hear me say that. You're WAAAAY off the mark, Ebony. Way off. Totally. I do plan on giving them more significance, yeah. In the sequel I have planned I intend to go further into depth regarding how this technology works.**

 **Vixenlovesninjago - Ah! Ah! Ah! You're killing me, VLN! One of your favourites?! I think you just made me as dead as Lloyd right now with that compliment. You cried? So sorry. Wow? AAAH I LOVE ALL YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE THE WORD 'WOW' IMPACTS ME MORE THAN YOU THINK!**

 **CHEESEPUFF- TheAmberShadow said thanks for coming up with the idea to have Brad and Gene, by the way. And I have to say thanks too. It was a brilliant idea, truly. Glad I could make your fangirl heart happy, that's the whole point of fanfiction! :) Relax, that's nothing you need to apologize for. Everyone has reasons for watching things and reading things. Zane is the only reason I started watching Ninjago. I'm also fifteen, and I gotta say I can't imagine how rough that must be for you. I admire how strong you must be to be handling it as well as you are :) Hey, no problem. It was a great idea, I couldn't NOT turn down your suggestion. Glad I could make your day, knowing that makes MY day! That'll for sure be an interesting confrontation. Ever since your comment to include Brad and Gene, I have been working on ways to include Mother Doomsday. I've resolved to watch Child's Play again 'for research purposes'.**

 **Anonymous7 - We don't HAVE a bigger vehicle! The journey is coming to a close, I'm afraid. If things go according to plan this story is supposed to be about 70/71-ish chapters long. I also have a sequel in the works, but we'll just have to wait and see if I follow through. Yeah, my sister used to call me a 'philosopher' too because of my frequent existential crises. My friends have a rule that "we don't question the meaning of life at the dinner table, come on we talked about this" :) Ah! You ship Conan/Jimmy and Rachel too?! I love those two together. Richard's pretty cool as well, and I love the family dynamic those three develop. But sad to say, it sounds like you haven't met my favourite character. He does appear in the dub, so you'll meet him. I think he shows up episode 48. His name is Harley Hartwell in the dub and Hattori Heiji in the sub (I watch the sub now mostly, but I started off on the dub).**

 **Ninalb - Jay, making poor life decisions? That's hardly anything new. Traumatized buddies!...not exactly something to be excited about, but at least they have each other. Well wait no more, here's the next chapter!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

" _Water their graves."_

She didn't really know what that was supposed to mean at first. So the three of them brought plastic water bottles. Plastic water bottles were highly unceremonious, but none of them were sure what to expect by Jay's request. Perhaps there were flowers at the grave to be watered, but no one could have anticipated at what extent.

 **{If you're sensitive to funerals, cemeteries, graves, etc. please skip this scene. It's short. I'll let you know when it's over}**

The graves were so difficult to find, that Pixal even asked her father for help. Having him near her even now racked up a loud, hot sensation in her ribs. On top of that, they then had to speak to the grave-diggers for directions to the graves of Ed and Edna. And after much confusion, the three of them discovered that what looked like a patch of flowers or perhaps a garden was actually the home of two graves.

Clusters of colour swarmed the grave-markers, with two healthy sunflowers growing big and bold behind each. Roses, petunias, chrysanthemums, daisies, daffodils, and a million others Pixal couldn't name. A small floral jungle.

Skylor had memories of her own father's death and funeral to draw on, to explain Jay's motivation for all this. Though all the theories she pulled up couldn't be verified, so she discarded any merit they may have had until she could ask the man himself.

Almost synchronized, all three participants opened their water bottles in unison and began dumping the contents onto the flowers.

Borg held firm in the forefront of his mind the reasons behind being here: a) he was Pixal's father, as much as she tried to deny it, and being here for her was part of his job; b) these were indeed his old friends after all, so part of this actually was for him; c) also relating to his daughter, he had a long way to go to make it up to her and mend their relationship - perhaps this was an acceptable start; d) he did hold a level of respect for the brave Fairy whose presence they were lacking, and so this water was also for him.

But he did not vocalize these reasons, thinking they need not be said. Not in a place like this, of all places.

Perhaps he should have, though, because as receptive of emotions as Pixal was she had no clue that those were her father's motives. He may have been an expressive person, but she for some reason struggled to read him the most.

 **{Okay, it's over. Basically they found Ed and Edna's graves and as per Jay's request, watered the many flowers that he had planted there. Continue your reading as normal}**

The three of them shared a moment of silence before crossing that off the list of requests, and headed back to the limo. Oh God, why did they have to arrive in a LIMO of all things? Wasn't Borg Manor flashy enough? Yet another reason to hate her own kin.

Cryptor opened the door for them, and the three of them piled in. Pixal stuck to Skylor's side, and gave Borg an entire few seats all to himself.

Skylor quite liked her personal space, but she also understood something was amiss regarding Pixal and her father's relationship. So she let Pixal cling to her and sit by her when they had the entire limo to spread out, albeit grudgingly.

Cryptor took to the wheel, and they were off again.

The world flew past as their vehicle picked up speed, and no one spoke a word. There was nothing to say, not for a while. Not without addressing the many elephants in the room.

Skylor was the one to break the surface, though not the tension. "So. What else does Jay want?"  
Pixal let it mull around in her mind a bit, head too clouded to give a proper answer right away. "...I believe he also wished for...well, that will have to wait until his friends return."

Skylor leaned back against the seat and flung her head up to the ceiling of the car. Perhaps she'd take a nap until they returned back home. It was getting late anyways. "What is it?"  
"A video," she said. "A video for us to show to his friends and family once they get back. He said he wanted to leave them something to remember him by until he awoke again."

The ginger cracked open a sleepy eye. "Do you have it with you?"  
Pixal patted the mauve purse hanging on her shoulder. "Of course I do."  
"Can we see it?" Borg offered. That was overstepping his boundaries, he knew, but he just couldn't help himself.

Pixal shot him That Look, but then complied with no small amount of reluctance and despise. She pulled out her phone - small, sleek, smart, classy (as expected from the BorgPhone 14S) - and opened up a video file. She had recorded it herself with this phone, the very same phone she used to finally reunite with Echo/Zane. Fat lot of good that did her, considering where that left the two of them now.

She leaned into Skylor so they both could see. Borg frowned, but he was content with just listening for now - Pixal's attitude towards him was a tad bit his fault, and he didn't expect anything less from a young woman so much like her mother. The same mother he hid the truth about from her. The same one that had died back when…

…

There was much about that day and that alchemist and that island that he still hadn't told Pixal yet, and didn't really want to.

The screen lit up with the face of a skeleton, one with a faux happiness plastered onto it.

"Hi guys!" The skeleton, Jay, waved. "I'll give you three guesses to figure out who I am. B-but since this is a pre-recorded message, how about I just tell you: Jay! Yep, it's me, Jay Walker, in the flesh. But not really. So in the bones? Don't roll your eyes at me, Cole, I know you are!"

Skylor laughed a bit. Jay was funniest when he wasn't trying to be, which made all his conscious efforts painful and strained.

There was a depressed, artificial sigh that whistled from Jay's toothy mouth. "But yeah. So apparently Pixal - the silver-haired girl - and I have a bit of history, in that my 'parents' and hers knew each other and were friends. I think I vaguely remember us having playdates when we were little, but to the best of my memory those never ended well."  
Pixal's eyes crinkled at that, and as did Borg's.

"She also took care of Zane while we were out. So I've tasked her with the job of recording this video and sharing it with you all when you come home. IF you come home. I'm starting to worry about you guys, y'know. Hope you're not having too much fun without me. B-but anyways. So long story short, some bad stuff happened and I went from being a Lightning Fairy to a Bone Fairy. I'm a skeleton. Cole and Kai I swear if either of you make a single bone joke in my absence I will crawl out of my seven-month medically induced coma and scold you both. Jokes are MY job!"  
A chuckle from Pixal, though she already knew that quip was coming.

Jay turned his face away a moment, ashamed. "Y-yeah. I'll be in a coma. It's called a Reconstruction Chamber. Basically they put me under into a coma, they put me in the Chamber, and then their fancy tech builds me some new flesh and makes me what I used to be. They're not allowed to tell us how it works, though. There's gonna be some side effects…" His face grew darker, before bouncing back with an unmatched glow of joy - just a pretense, but he tried hard not to let it show. Kai was better at this sort of thing than he was. "...But nothing you should worry about! I'll be fine, I promise. I promise. I'll be fine. I'll be...fine. I just thought I'd make this video cuz I KNOW you're all going to miss me. Just can't get enough of me, can you, so it seemed courteous enough to satisfy the masses with one last memento to tie you guys over for the next stretch of time." He flashed a toothy grin, the only kind he was capable of.

Skylor rolled her eyes, surprised to see him point an accusing finger at the screen. "Don't roll your eyes at me! I can't see you guys in real time, but I know you all well enough to imagine that at least ONE of you rolled your eyes. Stop that, stop doing that!"  
He huffed, and his tone shifted gears for something more somber. "That aside. Just know that despite the consequences, no matter what impact it'll have on my psyche, no matter how broken this leaves me...I know you'll all be waiting and ready to put me back together again. Right?"  
His warm and loving yet heartbroken smile was so genuine and complex, that anyone watching couldn't help but reciprocate. Even as a skeleton, he could achieve such a feat. That was the real miracle here.

"I'm doing this for you," he said. "All of you. You don't deserve someone who can't protect you and be by you. You don't deserve someone as FRAGILE as me. You deserve the best. All of you. I wish I could give you perfection, which is what you need from me and what you no doubt want from me, and this is the best I can do. I-I'm too weak like this, to defend or save anyone. And…"  
If skeletons could blush, that was what it looked like.

He fingered the seam of his shirt, flustered by what he had was about to have the audacity to say. "...to tell you the truth, it's because of you the most Nya. I want to be your shoulder to lean on, but I don't think my shoulder will be that comfy if it's nothing but bone. I want to be your shield, but how can I do that when I can so easily fall apart? And most of all, I want to...to…"

A pause. Pixal knew what he was going to say, but Skylor and Borg didn't.

"I WANT TO START A FAMILY WITH YOU NYA!" he finally cried aloud after great reluctance.

He cleared his throat, despite not having one. "And I can't do that without a body. Skulkins can't have kids. They only exist from the remains of the dead and cursed. Or Hybridization in my case. But having kids? Physically and biologically impossible. You know, I was thinking three. Three kids. Two girls and a boy. We'd all live in a house by the water's edge, and we could tinker for hours. They wouldn't have to be inventors like us. One could do ballet, one could be into violin, and the third could be still trying to figure out who they are. I've dreamed of that very thing for years, to have a family with you. And I can't do this - be a father, let alone a good one - in this body. That is, if you even say yes of course. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't."

He sighed, though he didn't need to breathe. That would change, if things went according to plan. "Welp. Goodbye to you all, and I love all of you. Seeya soon, I hope."

And the video was over, leaving the limousine in silence and all listening hearts deeply impacted by his words.

After hearing something as emotionally charged as that, no one would be doing much sleeping that night.


	52. Fullmetal Alchemist is REAL!

**THREE HUNDRED COMMENTS CAN I GET A WHOOP WHOOP!**

 **Thank you. That is all.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Ebony umbreon - It pains me greatly to say that I can't tell you how near or far you are. Read the following chapter and be the judge of that yourself :) But I will tell you that whenever I input a clue, I always have to think to myself, 'is this going to be too obvious for Ebony? Will I be able to hide this from Ebony?' and whenever I think I've finally got a clue you won't notice you up and prove me wrong. Frustrating, yet endearing.**

 **elveron294 - Oh come now. I am capable of writing a happy ending and making this story end well. Whether or not I WILL is a secret, but the fact is that I CAN. Aww, thanks. Glad that I could inspire you. You'll have to write something and let me know so I can read it! Pssh, we're all eccentric here. Ooh, a club? You've piqued my interest...**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Yeah, he'll be MIA for a bit but he has one of the biggest contributions to the final battle/climax. Hmm. Well, if you're ever sad I'm not all that bad at cheering people up. The new Lloyd is kind of like the old one, only...you'll find out. I guess I'm not saying you'll LIKE him, per se, as much as it is that you won't HATE him. Like I said, basically the old one but different. So yes, still a Dragon Morph. Oh, so it sounds like you're fairly new to the fandom. And THANK YOU for pointing that out, I was wondering when someone would translate that!**

 **TheAmberShadow - That was a joke. I know if I had my way, y'all would get too overwhelmed with the feels and grief with all the mental baggage and issues my characters have that it just wouldn't be sad anymore. I need to work on lightening up a bit. Yeah, they'll all be real sad when they see the video I'm sure.**

 **Ninalb - Well not bye FOREVER. He will make another appearance in the story. Well the potions comment isn't too far off the mark... :) You can wait, I believe in you! Thanks!**

 **Anonymous7 - Yeah, writing the last few chapters my eyes got a little wet. Which surprised me, because I NEVER cry. How about both? No promises :) An essay?! Dang. What's it about? They DO have a ship name, but it's not anything fancy. It's just merging their names together. The catch though, is that it's merging their JAPANESE names together. In the sub version, Jimmy Kudo is Shinichi Kudo and Rachel Moore is Ran Mouri. So their ship name is ShinRan. Till next time!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

The Golem chuckled. "This place hasn't changed a bit."  
"Did you think it would?"  
He shook his head and said, "No, but I'm just appreciating the fact that it hasn't. Brings back old memories."  
"W-we lived here for what? A month, tops," Nya sputtered. "Not much to reminisce on. Right, Lloyd? Uh, Lloyd?"  
The blonde boy jolted, startled. "Oh! Sorry, I was lost in thought. What were you saying?"  
Nya shrugged and told him that never mind, it didn't really matter anyways.

Cole slowed his pace to be in step with his Morph friend, with Nya catching the hint that this was going to be a private conversation. She flew ahead to give them their space.

Lloyd kept his eyes on the ground as they walked through the snow, trees that were supposed to be familiar towering over him at either side.

"I know that look," Cole said.

"I'm sure," Lloyd said.

"Do you want to talk about it?"  
"I don't know what good it will do. I already told Julien, Sakura, and Morro, and none of them could help me." He paused. "Well, actually Morro did a nice job of comforting me because he can relate to my situation, but the feeling is still there."  
Cole narrowed his glowing, deep-sunken eyes. "Morro?"  
"Yeah," Lloyd said with a nod. "For some reason he's able to empathize with what I'm feeling right now, though I have no clue why." His breath stiffened with a cough.

The rock monster beside him crossed his arms, the jagged edges of his earthen body bulging as he did. "Strange. I'd give my theories as to why that is, but first I'd need to know what it is Morro's empathizing with in the first place."  
Before Lloyd could speak, they were interrupted by sounds of bickering. "Are you SURE it's this way? I think we're lost."  
"No no, I'm positive. It's this way."  
"Why don't we just stop and ask for directions?"

"I can do this, honest. We just need, um…"

Cole rolled his eyes. Were they STILL arguing over directions? Honestly. One would think they'd have sorted that all out by now.

Cole cleared his throat to gather attention. The bickering stopped, and all eyes were on him.

"Take a left," was all he needed to say to cease one argument and start another.

"I TOLD you."  
"In my defense, it's been a few years. Guess my memory's not quite what it used to be."

"That's it, I'm navigating from now on."  
Then the group kept walking, and Cole and Lloyd continued their chatter.

Lloyd huffed, hands deep in his pockets. "Telling people doesn't change the fact that this feeling is very much still here, and I can't shake it."  
"I think I can guess," Cole offered. "Since I've felt it too and I can see it in your eyes, but I'd like to hear it from your mouth in case I'm wrong."  
Lloyd let out a small, reluctant noise, but eventually relented. He didn't have much to lose from telling Cole, although repeating the same broken record was sure to get tiresome.

Lloyd closed his eyes. His breaths were shallow and broken, his skin gleaming artificially under the cloudy sunlight. His soft golden hair was still as tousled as ever, but now in a much more kempt way. Cole knew exactly what those turning gears in his mind were thinking, because they were doing much the same in his own.

"It started when I woke up." His voice was hollow, hollow, much more hollow than Lloyd was feeling or even the mysterious emptiness balled up within Kai. "I didn't think much of it at first, but now I'm starting to realize there may be something to it."  
Cole said nothing, but the anticipation on his face was easy to read. So Lloyd continued.

"It's like…" Lloyd started, before pausing to gather his thoughts.

"Like what?" Cole prompted.

"It's like you know you're you," Lloyd said. "But you don't feel like it. All the ticks and tocks inside your brain are all in tune, but you feel like it's the wrong tune altogether. But then again, you never paid this much attention to the tune before now - you didn't even hear it before - so you can't say for sure. Either way, now it's so loud you can't hear yourself think. And when you can, all your thoughts are about the tune. It's so foreign, so-"

"-Haunting," Cole finished. His joy had faded out, replaced with a somber look and a darkened voice. This was a bit too close to home for comfort, but then again, everything about Lloyd was.

"Y-yeah," the Morph stammered.

This was certainly troubling, if nothing else. Cole had a similar experience to share, but at least he knew why he felt that way.

"It started when I woke up, too," said the Golem. "But I didn't wake up on an island like you did. I was in my kitchen. It was strange at first, and the 'tune' as you could call it was a bit shallow then. Didn't have much time to dismiss the tune, because straight across the table was my own dead body."  
Lloyd shuddered, but tried hard not to let the sensation linger. He ran his fingers through his hair to soothe that dark image out of his mind, but all that did was notify him of how dishonest his hair felt. How could hair feel dishonest? That was something he would have liked to know.

"That must be hard for you," Lloyd said.

"It was, and it is," Cole answered. He wasn't going to lie to the kid. "But you unfortunately get used to it."  
"That's not something you should get used to."  
"That's why I said it's unfortunate."

Lloyd gave a breathy, superficial giggle, but his mind was too occupied to make it genuine.

Crunch, crunch, crunch went the icy ground beneath their feet, a frosty breeze nipping them as it meandered past. It took its time in their presence, spending long enough with them that it could almost hear their conversation.

The two of them followed their team as they took a sharp turn, though the new direction did nothing to ease the labyrinth feel this forest gave off.

"I did my own research," Cole said. "I wanted to know if the sensation was natural or if I was going crazy. Turns out, a lot of Ghosts and Golems deal with this same issue. It's called Spiritual Dysphoria. It usually occurs after you die, and are brought back in a new form."

"But why am _I_ experiencing it?" Lloyd almost shrieked.

A few suspicious looks turned down at him, and he made a mental note to school his volume from then on.

Now more hush, Lloyd murmured, "I mean, I didn't even die-"  
It hit them both in an instant. They snapped their necks around to face the Fire Fairy limping and lurking behind them. A newfound cynicism swirled in their chests at the sight of his face. He was hiding something. That had been apparent from the start, but now Lloyd feared the true gravity of that secret.

"Do you think…?"  
"It would explain why you walked away unscathed."  
"But I can't remember dying that day."  
"You can't remember anything from that day."  
If only he had a snappy rebuttal to that, but Cole was right. "So I died."

"I guess you did."

His hands were cold and unnatural, and no matter how hard he fisted them or how tight he shut his eyes he couldn't imagine him being dead. His heart was beating, his lungs were breathing. His hands had the right amount of fingers and worked the way they always did. But here he was, faced with an impossible truth that he had no choice but to accept. He died; how was one supposed to reconcile that?

"I don't suppose you know how I survived, well, death," Lloyd said.

Cole shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't...although…"  
"I'm all ears, Cole."  
Lloyd's Golem friend tossed the idea around in his rocky brain before actually speaking about it. "I read a book once."  
"You read a lot of books, Cole, you'll have to be more specific."  
Cole did just that. "It was talking about this cool deviation from magic called 'alchemy'. Apparently, masters of the art called 'alchemists' are capable of transmutation. Before you ask, transmutation is the process of changing the form, nature, or substance of something. They can transmute dreams, memories, even souls. Sometimes into gold or valuables, sometimes into essence-less entities made from mirrors and memories called Homonculi. And sometimes they transmute souls to create 'Philosopher's Stones'. Those grant immortality, achieved through rebirth into a new body. Most of the time, they use Stones to put their own souls into already dead bodies. But when that happens, they unconsciously assume the life of the body they stole. So if my theory's right, it appears body-snatchers might be more than fiction."  
"And you think…"  
Cole looked away. "It's possible. But we'll have to grill KAI about that later."  
"Why not now?"  
Cole turned to look at what was in front of them. It was a tall, fat, seemingly dead birchwood tree, one with the faint outline of a door etched into it.

"Because we're home."


	53. An Old Flame for the Fire Fairy

**I probably should have told y'all I was going camping, huh? Well. I went camping for a week with _mis primos_ , which was a fun adventure. But now I'm back on the grid, back in the system, ready to tackle the final stretch of this insane story I got us all into. **

**This chapter wasn't planned or organized like most of my chapters. I was camping and wanted to enjoy myself, had some serious matters that demanded my attention, and was working on a different story. You might be able to tell when reading it, but either way please keep in mind that I wrote this on a whim so it's not really on par with my best work. And I'm too lazy to do anything about it.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
TheAmberShadow - Don't worry, I'm not that evil. I actually got my inspiration for the alchemist stuff from an anime called _Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood._ You're not the first person to mention the similarities to Harry Potter. I know jack squat about Harry Potter myself . Is it good? It IS a popular treehouse, isn't it? **

**Ninalb - Aw, thanks :) I'm sure there are worse things than being a zombie like...all of your friends being turned into zombies and having to kill them? I dunno. Haha, well here it is!**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Thanks, your whoop-whoops are appreciated. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. And to make it fair, I'll do some sharing too: my real name is Mailei. Haha, really?! XD Now that would be a funny confrontation. Whether or not you meant to be, thanks and congrats!**

 **Ebony umbreon - Sure you're close...but HOW close? You still don't know all the details, my dude. Nice, you figured out who Zane's new Chosen One is (I'll let you have that, because that's not really as big a secret as some of the others).**

 **Anonymous7 - You'll find out :) I dunno, really. The body-snatching just sort of came to me, I guess. But it also isn't all there is to Lloyd's new predicament. The team is back in Jamanakai, heading back to the treehouse home. I probably should have been more explicit about that, which will only make this next chapter more confusing. So sorry.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

"Kai."  
"Skylor."  
"It's been a while."  
"Indeed."  
Kai shifted his weight on the crutches Julien had forced upon him.

"I've been saving something for you," he said.

She smirked, a look of pleasant surprise slipping through her usual poker face. "After all these years?"  
He nodded, and walked - as best as his broken legs, many injuries, and makeshift crutches would allow - towards his old friend.

Well, he could hardly call her his 'friend' now. Sure, they had something back then. But it had been too long, too soon to resume that sort of intimacy between themselves. Now, they hardly even knew each other.

Of course, there are some things not even time can change.

Skylor stiffened when she realized just what kind of 'something' Kai referred to.

PAK!

His misshapen fist made contact with her face. It nested in her eye socket for a fleeting moment, long enough to force her back a few notches.

Staggering, she held her face. It throbbed with a sort of pain she wouldn't let show too easily. The Witch let out a moan, but not a pitiful one.

Everyone watched on in shock. A cacophony of disapproval met Kai's cut-up Fairy ears. He ignored their criticism and focused on Skylor. The way she breathed, the way she moved, the way her face was so close yet so distant in his mind. Did she always look like this - the muscle tone, the brooding eyes, the unreadable lips, the loose hair?

Nya's voice was hard to ignore, unlike the others. She burst in between them, an accusing look targeted at her brother.

"WHAT is WRONG with you?! Did you just PUNCH her?!"  
Before Kai could respond, Skylor's words rose up in a chillingly deadpan tone. "It's fine. I deserved that."  
The throbbing would soon be replaced by swelling, which would later grace her skin with a faint black eye.

Everyone hushed seconds after Skylor spoke, just in time for her to speak again. "I've been saving something for you, too."  
Kai gave a hurt grin. "Aw, you shouldn't have."  
Skylor made no hesitation in winding back her arm. She infused it with everything she wanted to tell him - the good, the bad, the in-between, the indescribable - into that arm. She ignored the knowing looks that surrounded.

PAK!

The impact sent Kai stumbling back. His leg injuries rendered him unable to keep from collapsing. His back slammed against the floor, his face stung, and all his wounds threatened to open back up and say hello.

Skylor let her hand fall at her side, loosening her fist as she did.

Nya turned to the Witch, no less mortified than when it was Kai's turn. "What is wrong with you?! BOTH of you!"  
The Water Fairy would have helped her brother onto his feet and into his crutches, but Cole beat her to it. While he did it, though, he sent a cynical glare in Kai's direction. Kai would have to ask Cole about that later. It was probably nothing, but the fact that Lloyd and Ronin gave him that same treatment told him something was up. He could only hope it didn't have anything to do with his...ordeal...on the island. Cole DID do a lot of reading - was it possible that he had read up on alchemists?

But supposing so, alchemists were capable of a lot of things. Even if they were on the right track, it would take a lot of pushing and shoving for them to figure out all the juicy details without Kai's help.

Kai held the bridge of his nose, and his voice turned nasally. "That's fair." He settled into his crutches again, now halfway leaned against the wall of the treehouse.

Garmadon butted in. "May I ask what just happened?"  
Wu nodded in silent agreement.

"We're old acquaintances," said Kai.

"From a past life," Skylor finished.

"What are you doing here?" Kai asked, having briefly forgotten about all other matters on his mind and people in the room.

"Breathing, I think," Skylor joked. "And living, too, and digesting my breakfast, and waiting for my noodles to be -"  
"In my HOUSE," Kai corrected.

No one dared interfere with the tense and mysterious dialogue occurring. Best to let these two sort out their baggage before bombarding the curious redhead with questions.

"Ah, I think I remember hearing that you guys lived here," Skylor said with a hum. "That's partly why I decided to tag along with that Lightning Fairy."  
Nya's heart jolted, having been revived by memories of the boyfriend that seemed to have slipped her mind. How could she have been so cold, forgetting him like that?! After what she had heard and felt from the last she knew of him, those painful screams of his...her chest ached with swirls of regret and confusion over how quick her nightmares of him were replaced with dreams of Operation: Coral Dagger and the likes of such.

She really was one-track-minded, wasn't she?

Nya pushed her way into Skylor's face. "D-do you mean JAY?! Where is he? Is he here?!"  
Skylor gestured to Nya to back up and turn down the volume. She did so, and Skylor explained. "More or less. It's sort of complicated like that."  
Now was Cole's turn to get mad and burst into the conversation. "Then make us understand." He sounded volatile and gritty, on the verge of screaming with fearful rage. His friend. The friend he was missing. The friend who was gone and. The friend who he had, for many days, thought was dead.

It was comforting to know Jay was alive, but it also made him uneasy about the bad news.

"There's a story you need to hear," Skylor said. "Some of it is MY story, some of it isn't. I can't tell it all. I have a…" She paused to find the word. "...a friend...that can fill in the gaps and tell what I can't. I'll call her down here and the two of us will explain everything. From A to Z."

Skylor's audience had mixed feelings about that. Explanations were good, but not always from someone you neither knew nor trusted. Besides, there was some dark secret she kept under lock and key. Wu didn't like that. Something had to be terribly wrong with Jay for someone as seemingly formidable as Skylor here to shy away from the truth.

And oh boy was the truth terrible.

* * *

 **I feel I could have done better on this chapter, and the previous one too for that matter. So I'll explain some details I left out:**

 **They're heading back to Jamanakai, back to their little forest treehouse. And Sakura tagged along. (Should I have included a chapter where I more explicitly establish these things? Sure. But did I? Nope!) The last chapter took place in the forest. This chapter takes place in the treehouse. I REALLY SHOULD work on my settings. One of my writing weaknesses is establishing setting. i'll work on it.**

 **Until next time, seeya around!**

 **~Erio**


	54. Concealer

**You know what's easier than writing? Not writing. And you know what I've been doing for the past while? Not writing. I have a serious procrastination problem, my dudes. But! In any case!**

 **Who's seen the movie trailers and/or the season 8 sneak peek? Tell me in the comments what your thoughts are on those :)**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Ebony umbreon - Haha, yeah. I wonder if Cole and Ronin are onto Kai who is onto them who are onto him. :)**

 **CHEESEPUFF - That's a lot of questions. But I'll try to answer what won't be answered in the story: Of COURSE Brad, Gene, and Lloyd hung out at Doomsday Comics. And I'm sure they'll continue to do so after they reunite. Yes, new Lloyd has old Lloyd's memories. But he doesn't need the walking stick because that was something old Lloyd needed. New Lloyd has no injuries or physical weaknesses or wounds. My name is pronounced MY-lay. I know, it's weird. Yeah, Morro's with them. Thanks! :)**

 **TheAmberShadow - Yeah, it looks good. Books usually are better than movies. Probably make-up and stuff.**

 **PixelatedNinjas - Congrats on catching up! AWWW, making me blush! You guys and your compliments! THANKS! :)**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

She opened her mouth, and more of the blue-purple twinkles of light escaped. They attacked and subdued all that surrounded her, and no sooner than the fight had begun, it was already over.

She got rope and tied them together, keeping her head low and hands steady.

None of them were conscious enough to object, and she feared that the weakest one had simply died.

The next step was, to take these lowlifes to the police. Then her job was done, and she could return to the hospital and stay by Echo/Zane's side where she belonged.

…

She shook her head. No thinking about him at such a time. She was Wisp-er right now. Wisp-er didn't think about Echo/Zane. Wisp-er didn't even know the guy. Wisp-er only knew justice.

For someone of her caliber, hauling a squad of drug dealers to the police station a few blocks away was a piece of cake. And no one saw her, since it was so late, so that was another plus. The ropes were tied tight enough to prevent any of the dealers from escaping, but she duct-taped them to the light pole outside the station as a precaution.

The only problem was that her Wisp sense was tingling.

There was a metallic figure in a nearby alley, one too shady and suspicious for her to willingly brave it. So she stayed where it was well-lit, right in front of the police station, and allowed the person to come to her...supposing they even did, of course.

Maybe she was just paranoid about the guy. Probably just an average citizen. Still, she couldn't let down her guard.

The mysterious person wound up proving her right. They walked towards her with slow and heavy steps. There was a disconcerting aura about them, yet familiar all the same.

"What brings you out here?" came the person's voice.

Cryptor. Of course.

She didn't turn around to face him. Maybe there was still hope of salvaging her secret identity. "I am just doing my civic duty, stranger."  
"I should hope that after all these years," Cryptor huffed. "You and I would be more than just strangers...Miss Borg."  
The vigilante stiffened at the mention of her identity. She rushed up to him, and clamped a glowing purple-blue hand on his mouth. Wisp-er shushed him harshly.

The robot shoved her off, his deep red eyes unrelenting. "Of course," he cooed in a sarcastically sympathetic tone. "Your secret is safe with me. Though if I may - it would do you well to research what a superhero costume looks like, because I do not believe a mere hoodie counts."  
Wisp-er buried her face in the very shirt he scrutinized, embarrassed and annoyed. "I did not ask for your opinion, Cryptor. And I am not a superhero."  
He said nothing, and the both of them started walking. It was getting late, after all, and both of them had the same idea that it was best to head back.

"What have you come for?" Wisp-er asked. "Come to COLLECT me? Borg set you up to this, I assume."  
Cryptor shot as nasty a glare as his robot face would allow. "It is Skylor, actually. She has contacted your phone with a request. Though you left your phone at home, which is why I am here to inform you."  
The Wisp frowned. "I can guess."  
"I am sure."

"So I take it they need me back at the treehouse?"  
"It seems so."  
A pause. "How is Echo?"  
"Zane," Cryptor corrected.

"Regardless. How is he?"

"His condition has not improved," Cryptor said. "As expected. I find your sense of false hope humouring, WISP-ER."  
The android leaned in to get a look at what expression she sported in response.

Upon closer look, Cryptor saw more details about her Wisp form than ever before. One of those details being, of course, the wicked yet faint lines along her skin.

They glowed a different shade of blue-purple, and he wouldn't have noticed them if he hadn't been looking closely. The markings had an uncanny resemblance to...to…

Anacondrai tattoos.

Should he have expected any different from Miss Pixal Borg? Surely at least some respect for her fellow Creatures. This really was a new low for the miss.

Although if she was doing it to hide from both her father AND the Serpentines, what was a more ingenious hiding spot than right under the poachers' noses?  
Cryptor bit his mechanical tongue and let it slide. Perhaps this would be good intel to use against her in the long run.

They walked along the road in silence.

Wisp-er allowed her skin to fade to its normal hue. There was no real point in keeping up her alias at this moment. She was back to Pixal again.

She checked her skin. Sometimes, when she switched between forms, the concealer she used to hide her tattoos would smudge or fade. Good thing she kept extra, but it still was a general pain to have to slather herself in that gross stuff more than she needed to.

Thank God. The concealer was as it was supposed to be.

"So Anacondrai, huh?" blurted the robot at her side.

She flailed for a moment of chaotic surprise. "W-what?! Me? Anacondrai? Unlikely."  
Cryptor glowered at her. "Given the tattoos, it is less unlikely than one would think."  
She pursed her lips, about ready to smack him upside the head and run the other direction to never be seen again. But instead, she gave a mere sigh of defeat. "You saw them. I suppose I will have to get better with my makeup skills."  
Cryptor shrugged. "You always were bad at things like makeup and other feminine things. I blame that on your lack of a mother." He had struck a sensitive cord with her and he knew it. "But if you are wondering, I do not see your tattoos. I cannot even tell they are there in your human form. There is a faint glow in your Wisp form, however."  
"If only they made Wisp concealer," grumbled the Wisp Switch. She chuckled. Cryptor didn't. It was awkward.

The walk continued on, and not a word was spoken between them. For a short moment, Pixal had almost forgotten why and where they were walking - until the large mall-like hospital erupted into her field of vision.

Onward to that sad little hospital room, where she would meet up with her sad little father, who would take her to the jet. Then she would arrive at the sad little treehouse filled with sad little people and show them the sad little video Jay had made.

Or…

She WAS half-Wisp, wasn't she? And Wisps could fly, couldn't they? Better than facing Mr. Borg, that was for certain.

Her skin got its glow back, her eyes hollowed out, and she prepared to turn back and take flight.

"Wait!" Cryptor shouted.

"What?" Her Wisp voice was raspy and strange.

He spoke with a heavy tone of disgust. "What do you think you are doing, Miss Borg?"  
She flashed a cheeky grin. Screw him, and her father, and his stupid jet. She could fly to Jamanakai if she wanted, all on her own. She wouldn't get there till almost morning, but that didn't matter. She didn't need them.

The sudden pulse of adrenaline and independence flushed her cheeks. "Going to Jamanakai."  
And with that, she was off.


	55. That's Just His Way

**Hey everyone! Chapter 55, coming right up! I happened to be reading the earlier chapters and realized so many plot elements I completely forgot about! Anyone remember Farukon? Yeah, me neither. Haha. That's mainly because this story has evolved so much since the beginning. In the start, the story was going to work out with the Serpentines planning to turn all of Jamanakai into Creatures so that they could be poached en masse. And Farukon was going to have a bigger role. And Pixal being a superhero was going to be a bigger deal. And Zane was going to die at the end. But literally none of that has happened yet. The plot has changed, so if there are any plotholes along the way that may be why (I'm so sorry you had to put up with such a messy plot).**

 **Comment Reviews:  
CHEESEPUFF - No, he no longer has big gaps where his scales were ripped out. This new Lloyd is all brand new, with no scars and no wounds. Wow, 4 in the morning? Sorry! I'm in the Pacific Time Zone. Aw, thanks! Yeah, probably a cult. Garmadon's always getting wrapped up in all these cults, isn't he? -ripped-off is like the pinnacle of humour, honestly :)**

 **Ebony umbreon - Yeah, he'll basically look the same as he did before becoming a spooky scary skeleton. I intend to go deeper into explaining how the Reconstruction Chamber works in the sequel. Haha! I think the green eyes was just a design change, but it would be cool if there was deeper meaning to it. Probably a cult. AT THIS POINT THEY MIGHT AS WELL BE A BOYBAND! Same, honestly.**

 **Anonymous7 - It's fine. Is the mystery really solved? :) I, too, am a bit displeased by the cosmetic changes to the movie/new season. And the cat looks weird, but hopefully it's not the main part of the story. No, that was a plenty pleasant rant. I enjoy other people's opinions. How I think about it? Well, the Hageman brothers (the creators of Ninjago) said on their Twitter that this would be the best season yet. Hinting that they'll be revealing a lot of things, possibly about how Zane got his powers and a bit about the First Spinjitzu Master. I don't like the new look, but I want to wait and see it before I pass judgement. And the movie looks funny, despite the out-of-place cat. That's my 'one penny' on the subject. THANKS! :)**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Responsibilities.

Morro seemed to have a lot of those.

Yes, he DID plan on fulfilling them all. Eventually. But right now he needed to relax.

Screw his boss and that stupid report he was supposed to write. Screw Dareth for quitting the JPD just his suspension was about to be up to be Gayle's full-time cameraman (not to say he wasn't happy that they'd grown closer, but pulling out at such an inopportune moment was kind of a douche move). Screw his robot body. Screw everything.

He dipped his feet in, against his better judgement. The water would rust his metallic skin, that he knew, but he didn't really care.

He couldn't feel it rise against his body, he couldn't smell the chlorine, he couldn't truly immerse himself in the indoor pool experience. But, at least he wasn't dead yet. If not for the robot body, he'd be dead - for more reasons than one.

It was great to be back home in Jamanakai, truly it was. But what Officer Morro Kaze of the JPD didn't enjoy was all the stress that welcomed him back.

First, his job. Then the crippling amount of overdue rent and bills he hadn't paid in his absence. Then the report. Then Lloyd's troubling existential crisis that Morro feared could only mean something bad, very bad. Then Dareth quitting. Then everyone losing their minds over the more-or-less temporary loss of that insufferable Fairy, Jay Walker. Then all the other loose ends added to the picture with Skylor, Zane, Jay, and Pixal. Then the accountability for Farukon's untimely demise (it really was tragic, but since none of them were especially close to her Morro couldn't help but find the worst part being how much his boss grilled him for letting a civilian die). Then the-

He dunked his head into the water. No time to think about the stress. Now it was time to swim.

Right arm. Left arm. Right arm. Left arm. Kicking. Repeat.

Focus on the movements, on the rhythm, on the beat, on the song of the water submerging him.

But the rhythm was off. His breathing had always kept him in tune before, why not -

…

Oh. Right. Because he COULDN'T breathe, because he was a robot.

Perhaps it was better if he just quit now. He didn't swim very often anymore, due to a certain aquaphobia he didn't like to admit to (as justified as it was), and his performance was suffering as a result. He was getting rusty.

Ha. Rusty. Lloyd would have laughed at that.

Lloyd would have been there to comfort him through his aquaphobia panic attack, if they still shared a body.

The fear didn't rush into him like it used to. He had come a long way in recovering from his fears. But it was still yet another scar that would never fully heal, and what healing it WOULD do would take time.

He didn't have time. He had to get out of there.

What was he thinking, getting into the water like that? It had been therapeutic before, sure, but that was before the War and becoming a ghost and- and- and-

Morro pulled his creaky automaton body out of the pool, trying to ignore the strange looks he got from the other swimmers. Whatever. They didn't understand. They hadn't seen what he'd seen.

He took his towel and dried himself off. Lloyd had actually picked it out, which was apparent by its pungent green hue. Morro hated green. With reason. Lloyd, however, loved the colour. Just one of the many things that set them apart.

He turned his head up to see a young woman standing before him. She didn't dress like she had any intention of swimming, unless she enjoyed swimming in a sundress. She looked familiar, too.

She looked about Lloyd's age and height, maybe a tough taller, with cascading brown-black locks and crystal blue eyes staring down at him.

"Can I help you?" Morro asked.

The girl smiled and pulled him a side. Disconcerting, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt.

"Yes," she said.

"Can we make this fast? I need to get changed." An excuse, but an honest one. He did want to get back into his clothes, and he did want to get dry.

She laughed. "Of course. It's about Lloyd."  
Did she just -

He thrusted his arm against her, pressed her to the wall. "How?!" he demanded. "How do you know that name?!"  
The girl looked confused. "It's ME, silly. Don't you - oh wait, you haven't seen my human form, have you?"  
Morro strained his ears. That voice sounded familiar. And if she was in her 'human' form, then that meant he knew her as a Creature. Which meant…

Oh. Oh God.

He let down his arm and his guard, but was no less unhappy. "Sakura."  
"Aw, you say that like it's a bad thing." The girl before him frowned.

"How are you 'human', exactly? And why?"  
Sakura looked at him like he was an idiot. "I'm a Hydroscale Switch. My dad is a Hydroscale, and my mother was a human."

"Right." He gave an insightful nod. "Right. But why the change of skin?"

"The existence of Hydroscales is a secret to mainlanders - duh!"

"Well SO-RRY for being such an ignoramus."

"Apology accepted!"  
Morro grimaced. Did she not understand sarcasm?

No, she definitely did. He was still wounded by more than a few passive aggressive burns she had sent his way before. So Sakura was just being a jerk. Lovely.

"So if it's such a secret, why did you come to the mainland anyways?"

"My people can take care of themselves! And I want to continue my adventure, to see the world, to help you guys, to fight the Serpentines and avenge what they've done to me and my people, to - "

"I GET IT," Morro seethed. God, could she be annoying. He changed the subject before it could go on. Best to get over with talking to her. The sooner, the better. "So what's all this about Lloyd?"

She rolled her neck a bit before speaking again. "I want to be his friend."  
"Then BE his friend."  
Sakura harrumphed. "I already AM, dummy, but like...more than that."  
Morro gave her a look.

"That's not what I mean!"  
"Good," said Morro. "Because if you meant 'more than that' the way I think you did, then I have to tell you that you can't. Lloyd hasn't told me all the details, but I understand that he's a child in an adult's body due to some botched-up magic. It would just be messed up for you to be in a relationship with him. He's like, what? Ten?"

Sakura looked about ready to strangle him. It would do no good, he was a robot after all, but it would at least let off her steam. "I mean. As a best friend. A close friend." Her words were terse and impatient. Morro liked that. Pushing buttons was fun.

"And since he and I used to share a body," Morro deduced. "You thought I could help you."  
"That's the idea, yeah," Sakura said. "I want to do something nice for him, to let him know I want to be a good friend of his. Like a date, but without the romance or anything. Does that make sense? So like. What sort of place should we go? Oh! And I'm broke so...yeah."  
"Why are you making this such a huge deal? Just go up to him and say, 'Hi Lloyd. We're friends now. Cool? Cool.' And besides, you two hardly know each other. Why him?"  
Now he was going from annoying to just plain mean. That was his way, though.

"Because," said Sakura with a small pout. "He seems like a nice, fascinating guy that I would like to get to know. He seems so broken, too. I'd like to take him somewhere nice just to let him know that people care about him, and that he has friends. I intend no harm. I just want to be nice. And where I'm from, you initiate close friendships through service. It seems more authentic that way."

A stiff sigh, and Morro relented. "FINE. Take him to an amusement park or whatever. Maybe ask that Borg girl for some money, she's got a rich dad."

The Hydroscale-in-human-skin beamed at him as he walked back to the locker room. "Thanks!"  
Wait. There was one more thing he had to say before parting. Perhaps the most crucial thing of all.

Morro turned around to face the girl, the girl he neither knew nor liked. His smile looked creepy on a robot. "Oh and Sakura? I happen to know 57 ways to make you suffer for eternity, and have the means and motive to act upon each and every one of them. So...be gentle with Lloyd."

And Sakura's expression turned to one of horror, and Morro was off again.

Yes. That was just his way.

* * *

 **So before anyone asks, I'll clarify something about the kind of relationship Sakura is asking for:**

 **It's something called a quasiplatonic/queerplatonic relationship. It's basically like a regular relationship, but without the romance. Just a really, really intense friendship. All sorts of platonic goodness. So Sakura wants that kind of relationship from him, not romantic love. You can look up 'queerplatonic' online, or feel free to ask me any questions you might have if you want to know more :)**

 **In the meantime, thanks SO MUCH for the glowing praise you all continue to give! I love and appreciate you all!**

 **Seeya around!**

 **~Erio**


	56. Focus on What Matters

**How is everyone's summer going? What have y'all been up to? You know what I'VE been up to, but I want to hear about YOU GUYS. So. How's it hanging? The good, the bad, the inbetween?**

 **In any case.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
TheAmberShadow - I don't have him planned to directly blackmail her, no, but that scene does foreshadow to something else entirely...Yeah, hopefully! That's nice to know. You'll have to tell all about your missions trip when you get back! When you say missions trip...Mormon? I'm sure other religions and organizations do missions and whatnot, so maybe I'm wrong, but most of my family is Mormon so I can't help but ask. Thanks for informing me, and give me all the juicy details when you return!**

 **Ninalb - Yeah, but I've changed it so that he doesn't die at the end of this story. He'll die, but not yet. Don't worry. Aw, thanks! Your compliments are killing me, man! I appreciate your kind words SO MUCH! :) :)**

 **CHEESEPUFF - I get what you mean. I haven't actually considered if his dragon would be different. I just assumed he'd still be a golden dragon, but making him an energy dragon would be an interesting change. What are your thoughts on that? Thanks, I try :) Your location is still secret, because I have never heard of Greenwich and am too lazy to look it up. Yeah, I think it was that chapter where it was mentioned. You're right, Garmadon and Wu will quickly get suspicious.**

 **Ebony umbreon - She has her ways. I didn't really plan her death at the start, it just sort of happened. I will admit, the crazy unbalanced plot is a huge drawback to this story. At least half of this stuff was pulled up on a whim, so I agree with what you say about the Melody island arc. Thanks, you too!**

 **Anonymous7 - Yeah, I mentioned it in passing that she changes form like fifty billion chapters ago. But I didn't make a huge deal out of it then, so I am now. You're welcome! :) What do you mean when you ask how I know so much about relationships? No problem, I quite enjoy talking to my readers. It makes it feel for real and personal for all of us, and it's fun getting to know new people. Plus, you readers always have amazing suggestions to improve the story!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Zane.

Echo.

Two names, two people. Yet one and the same simultaneously.

It was confusing, to say the least. But that wasn't really the half of it.

Whenever he looked at her face, he saw IT. What was IT? Hard to say, but he knew IT when he saw IT.

That look. That feel. That emotion, that memory yet to pass. All of them rolled into a tight ball, swirling in her abysmal green eyes.

IT came and went with everything he looked at, from the ceiling light fixtures to the IV drip to every tiniest strand of hair.

But now he couldn't see IT. All that was left was the gnawing memories of what he used to do - see time.

He was blind to it now, but his mind remained consumed by what IT looked like. He was reminded of IT wherever he turned, unable to escape its elusive yet firm grasp on his mind.

She stood at the side of his bed. He pretended to be asleep. It was better not to interact with her. It was better to try and focus his mind on her and only her, because the moment he woke up a flood of people and things and doctors would rush in and then his past would spin into a blur. Then he would start screaming and spouting nonsense because no one, not a one, could understand how he was hurting and that his mind was splitting and that all of time had crammed itself into his mind.

As much as he hated his violent reactions to simply existing, it wasn't something he could control.

He held onto all the sights, smells, and memories of Pixal Borg. He didn't look away. He needed an anchor to hold onto, to keep all other thoughts from flooding in.

He usually couldn't block out the pervasive memories for very long, but he'd been training himself to get better.

Watching her mourn the loss of his sanity was as heartbreaking as it was frustrating. He had caused it, and he couldn't fix it. All he could do was try and hold it off, and beat himself up for failing again and again and again.

And he couldn't speak to anyone about how he was hurting, about how he was still in here. Because if he tried to open his mouth, he'd lose focus and then everything would spiral, twist, churn, collapse into a mumbling fit of pictures - dreams - deaths - births - dates - loves - losses -

He stretched his mind as far as it would go, to block out everything but Pixal.

Name: Pixal Borg

Age: 17

Birthday: 21 January

Parents: Cyrus Borg (father - human - alive); Kofi Borg (mother - wisp - deceased)

Soulmate/s: Zane Julien

Death Clock: 10957.275 hours

Another person stepped through the doors of his room. He clamped his brain. His focus was wavering. His attention started to spark away from Pixal and onto the newcomer.

No! Don't look. Don't think. Just Pixal. Look at Pixal. Look at her perfect silvery hair, at her soft skin, at her green eyes, at the tattoos she would hide.

Listen to her voice. Listen to her.

"Ah, hello. You are from the treehouse, yes?"  
The person spoke. Don't listen to him, only Pixal.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir. What have you come to visit for?"  
…

"I did hear mention of you being in part responsible for Echo's - Zane's - condition."  
…

"Though I appreciate it, I really must get used to calling him by his real name. He is Zane Julien. Echo is the mere persona I helped to build."  
No, Pixal, wait! He was still in there, he was still Echo! He was Zane, too, but that was alright! Couldn't he be both?  
…

Pixal turned to face the man, and no amount of restraint could keep Echo-Zane from looking too.

He had an oriental straw hat, which covered the disheveled brown hair matted to his head. He had an eyepatch over one eye, as a result of the War he had fought in. He had five o'clock shadow, and expressed no intention of shaving the coarse stubble on his face. Small scars and nicks and scratches littered what slivers of skin weren't covered by his green-and-orange makeshift body armour. The armour itself had seen better days, having been scrapped together with odds and ends and a generous helping of duct tape.

Name: Ronin Zei

Age: 28

Birthday: 9 November

Parents: Chao Zei (father - human - deceased); Luna Zei (mother - human - deceased)

Soulmate/s: None

Death Clock: 17531.64 hours

If he was going to put a little attention into the man, it was better he go all in. He could only focus on one person at a time, one thing at a time, without going downright insane, and even then he was slipping.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush," Ronin Zei said to Pixal Borg in his gruff voice. "Zane's in bad shape."  
Pixal said something, but he couldn't focus on her. He had to focus on Ronin now.

"I think…" A sigh. "I think I can help. Sure, I helped screw him over in the first place. But I have just the thing that can fix that."  
…

"Here. Let me tell you a story."  
But Echo-Zane already knew the story. He had felt it, he had known it. A part of him used to be it.

Ronin's voice turned breathy and reminiscent. "A long time ago, there were three boys. One was a homeless boy who lived on the streets. The second was a kind-hearted but annoying flirt. The third was a nice but average guy who wasn't rich or poor, but for some reason had a good knack for stealing."  
A pause before he continued. "The third kid utilized his knack for thievery to help out the first boy. Then the second boy's parents let the first boy move in with them. The three of them became absolutely inseparable, even after a girl was added to the mix and stole the second boy's heart."

Echo-Zane spotted a fond smile curl Ronin's lips. It was times like these that he really appreciated having a robot eye. He couldn't close it, so he could look through the robot eye while pretending to be asleep and everyone would be none the wiser.

"Then the War broke out," said Ronin. His voice turned empty. "The three boys decided they wanted to fight for what was right. So they joined the War together. They promised that when all was said and done, they'd all become cops together." A stifled, sad chuckle. "That never happened."

Pixal asked a question, but Echo-Zane tried hard to ignore it. It pained him to do so.

"The second boy got himself shot and almost killed. Desperate, the third boy arranged a deal with a ghost. The ghost saved him by turning the second boy into a ghost as well. But that didn't sit well with the third boy. So he asked the ghost to make his friend human again. The ghost said sure, but he'd have to give the ghostly curse to some random jo shmo on the battlefield. The boy said he didn't care, he just wanted his friend to be human again."  
…

"Yeah," said Ronin. "Turns out the random jo shmo wound up being the first boy. And to make matters worse, the ghost said that if the second boy ever remembered this encounter, he'd die. And if the third boy didn't manage to pay a certain fee by his 30th birthday, he and his friends would also die. So he took good use of his thievery talent, and started collecting cash. He also found a handy serum that makes you forget things. He used it on the second boy whenever he could, so that he'd forget the deal."  
…

"Y-yeah."  
…

"Wow, you're smart for figuring that out so fast. Gotta hand it to ya."  
…

"Eh. Mostly bad memories. I'll give you this first batch free of charge. Consider it an apology for messing with Zane's life."  
…

"Oh don't worry. We'll talk price when you come back for seconds."

He handed a small canvas sack to someone, presumably Pixal but Echo-Zane refused to look. It had syringes in it, a dozen of them.

…

A grin. "Of course you can. He's asleep, I'm sure he won't mind."  
Echo-Zane would have been worried if he hadn't remembered what the future held, informing him of how this interaction would end.

Then, a prick to the arm.

It wasn't as painful as he thought it would be. The poke hurt, sure, but after that it was more liberating than anything. His mind was clearer, his focus was sharper, and the haze on his conscious faded.

His grip on Pixal and Ronin and reality itself seemed to loosen, but that was because he didn't need to hold on anymore. Thinking was so effortless, so easy. Being sane was no longer a strenuous task destined to end in madness.

Ronin Zei dipped his hat and fled the scene, bidding dear Pixal adieu as he did.

Echo-Zane opened his human eye, taking full advantage of everything he could see and experience without being...why didn't he open his eyes like this before? And why could he only move one of them? The other one didn't move, and felt robotic. What was going on?

And where was he, for that matter?

He was in a hospital, he gathered, with Pixal waiting and watching in eagerness at his bedside. Just like the day he woke up and became Echo all that time ago.

"Ech - Zane?" She sounded hopeful.

He clasped her hand. They both needed that. "Pixal? What's going on?"  
Eyes wet and lips graced with a smile, she flung herself at him in a sobbing chokehold of a hug. "You are alright, is what is going on!"  
Confusion. But he'd worry about that later. For now, all that mattered was hugging Pixal back.


	57. The Fragility of Lloyd

**Hey everyone! Gotta say, 328 reviews is pretty intense. It's been wild, guys. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I deeply appreciate everything you guys do for me. The reading, the commenting, the liking and enjoying - ya'll's kindness is my biggest motivator to keep pushing out chapters and to keep making them as good as I can get, to keep improving on my craft to produce a story you will all hopefully enjoy. I wouldn't have made it this far without you guys, and there aren't enough thank you's in the world to express how grateful I am to you all.**

 **With that out of the way, Comment Reviews:**

 **Ebony umbreon - Wow. I didn't expect anyone would look that up. Kudos to you, my friend. Yeah, that's why the title of the sequel is "Morituri Nolumu Mori" which means something kinda dark in latin. Will you still keep in touch with your friend? That must be rough for them to move away. Happy belated birthday! WOOOOOOOOOOOP! That certainly does sound like a pretty darn diddly good week, good for you! Here's to more darn diddly good weeks in the future :) Life's going pretty good for me, thanks.**

 **Loki God of Evil - Fingers crossed! I'm sure you'll be a great nurse! Hmm, that's too bad. Hopefully once things settle down and you settle into being a nurse you'll get to spend some more time with them :)**

 **TheAmberShadow - Really? So sorry. Ooh, Korea. That sounds fancy. Yeah, Ronin will outlive Pixal. 17,531 hours is about 24 months. Nothing lasts forever.**

 **Ninalb - It is! I'm super excited he's back too! :)**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Well that's good of you. Is volunteering going well? Yep. Still never heard of Greenwich. Though now I feel like a complete idiot for not knowing. Yeah, I'll have to consider the changing-dragon suggestion. No problem, I was bound to reveal their pasts eventually.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

He didn't like the feeling of this. Nothing about this was right.

Okay. Maybe that was a LITTLE bit melodramatic.

But when you can't help but suspect your own son of being an impostor...He shook the thought out of his mind. Maybe he would talk to Wu or Julien about it later.

Though Wu would just provide some guided but cryptic insight. Julien would probably diagnose him with Capgras Delusion or something like that. Was that it? Did he suffer some condition that made him convinced his son was not genuine?

Garmadon stole a glance in the direction of 'Lloyd'. His hair was perfect and blonde and tousled, but too perfect. His eyes were a bright crystalline green, but too green. His skin was void of its former idiosyncrasies - an old wound here, a nasty scar there. Yet not even the smallest of nicks made it onto this new person's skin.

No. Not a new person. Still Lloyd. Still...Lloyd?  
He bit his cheek and tried to bite his thoughts, but they squirmed in his mind like feral beasts.

Perhaps if he distracted himself with better thoughts, maybe it would be alright. Maybe he could forget he ever doubted his own flesh and blood.

"How is your son doing, Julien?" was the best Garmadon could do.

Julien beamed at him. "I'm glad you asked! Did you hear about what happened the other night?"  
"No, I didn't. What happened?" Garmadon feared the worst, but if Julien was excessively happier than his already jovial demeanor then it had to be something good.

With delight Julien said, "Pixal found a treatment! N-now she won't tell me how she got a hold of it, but that's quite alright. Zane is now clear-headed and well on the road to recovery."  
Garmadon cocked his head. "Treatment?"  
The tinkerer turned a bit more sullen at that. "It isn't permanent, you know. It isn't a cure. But you have to make do with what you have, and I'm at least glad I get to see him at all! The hospital will discharge him tomorrow, they say."  
"That's wonderful, Julien," said Garmadon.

Julien appreciated the sentiment, and went to the store to buy his son a welcome-back cake. They would celebrate tomorrow.

Almost everyone was somewhere or other, living their lives and doing things, which left Garmadon to entertain his thoughts.

Jay was in the Reconstruction Chamber, and Cole and Nya spent much of their time at the hospital with him. Pixal did devote most of her time to Zane's bedside, but she still returned to the treehouse now and again (mostly in avoidance of her father). Skylor was the opposite, spending most of her time at the treehouse and rarely leaving to go to the hospital. She was at the hospital today. Morro was busy collecting data for his report. Dareth was helping Gayle edit the footage from their adventure to Melody Island, and Dareth was facing the inconvenient but manageable repercussions of quitting.

Dareth had confided in Garmadon that as soon as he was financially stable he would buy Gayle a ring. Now that he had quit the police force, financial stability was farther than ever, which was why he asked Garmadon for help. He wanted to get her a nice one this time, the nicest one he could find. He wouldn't use it to propose like every other time, because he'd finally come to terms with that she wasn't ready for it yet. It was okay, they were at different points and different pages. He had accepted that, and was willing to wait. He was going to give her the ring and use it to tell her how much he loved her, and how far he would go for her, and how long he would wait for her. It was with a heavy heart that Garmadon denied helping Dareth. He wasn't all that well off himself. He did promise to help Dareth pick it out, though.

That was not the bumbling police officer he used to be. Garmadon had only known the Dareth Dojo that was arrogant and single-minded - though that aspect of him hadn't gone away. But...Garmadon assumed it was Melody Island that changed him.

Melody Island changed everyone.

Perhaps even Lloyd.

But he couldn't think about it. He had to change the subject before his thoughts turned dangerous.

"What are you planning to do today, Sakura?" he asked.

"I'm taking Lloyd to the amusement park," said the Hydroscale. She had yet to switch to human skin, or her 'outdoor clothes' as she so endearingly called it. "Granted that that's alright with you, Mr. Garmadon."  
He pursed his lips into a terse smile. "Of course. Make sure you keep that...son of mine out of trouble. Bring him home by sunset."

"Sure thing, Mr. Garmadon."  
"Just Garmadon will do, Sakura."  
She flashed a grin as she walked past him, and right up to the bathroom door. "Lloyd? Are you in there? We need to go soon if we want to avoid the long lines."  
A small whimper came from the other side. It certainly sounded like his son, and Garmadon wished he could be fooled by how real it sounded.

"I-I'll be out in a minute," said a stammering, scared Lloyd-voice. He paused. "Actually, could you go get my father?"  
Garmadon strutted up to the door. He said, "I'm here Lloyd", though it pained him to do so. "What's the matter...son?"  
The Lloyd-voice turned much more panicky. "I-I don't know. I don't know! You...you have to see it for yourself. I - uh - I broke my arm. I slipped on my way out of the shower and broke my arm. But it's...it's completely shattered!"  
"Can you let us in? Are you dressed?"

"All but my shirt, yeah."  
Sakura thrusted a Hydroscale hand at the doorknob, and pulled herself into the room. The sight that met them on the other side was horrifying.

Glass shards lay scattered across the linoleum tiles, peachy in colour on one side and a mirror on the other.

Lloyd sat on the rim of the bathtub, the air still filled with steam, his hair still wet. He cradled his left arm.

His face - the Lloyd-face he wore, not his own by Garmadon's incredulous standards - was heavy with fear and concern, and a glimmer of an epiphany.

The arm he held was a jagged stump, hollow in the middle and cracked along the skin. Like glass. Like porcelain. Like a little china doll that had been smashed against the concrete.

Perhaps because he was.

Garmadon forced his hands on Lloyd, gripping his shoulders tight. Every question he could have asked got lodged in his throat, held back by fear of the boy-not-boy he held.

Sakura gasped, and reached out to touch his arm. "How did this happen?! Why are you like this?!"  
He flinched against her touch - this probably hurt a lot more than it looked, which said something because it looked agonizing.

With the one hand that was still intact, he clasped his head. Eyes wide with shock, he murmured, "I don't know."

Garmadon and Sakura helped him to his feet. Garmadon ordered Sakura to sweep up the glass - maybe they could put him back together, as soon as they knew why he'd broken in the first place.

Garmadon sat him down in the kitchen, while Wu made him some tea and listened to the story. Sakura got him a blanket to wrap in and called everyone up to tell them the news.

"We may need to speak with Kai about this," said Wu.

"I was thinking the same thing," Lloyd said.

Sakura came into the room, still in her 'indoor clothes'. "I just called everyone and told them what happened. They're on their way." She took a breath, followed by a sheepish smirk. "So I guess we're canceling the amusement park, huh?"  
Lloyd said nothing, just held the weight of his missing hand. Garmadon pulled another shard from the dustpan and inspected the edges. It would be next to impossible to put this back together.

Did he want to, though?

Because if this circumstance had clarified one thing, it was that this stunning replica was not the real Lloyd Garmadon.


	58. Anything, Anything

**You guys ready to learn about the new Lloyd?! I hope so, because that's what you're about to do. So get ready for it. For a while I toyed with how I would break it to you guys. Flashback? Long-winded info dump? I wound up with the chapter you have before you. Exposition is another thing I struggle with as a writer, so please let me know in the comments how well you think I handled it, and how you think I could improve. Thanks for being amazing, everyone!**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **Ebony umbreon - Yeah, that's how you spell it. Did I spell it wrong earlier? Hmm. Just keep your faith up and be persistent with communication, and hopefully you won't fall out of touch. Yeah, everyone's got a bone to pick with Kai. I am so sorry you had to look that up on Google. You're right on the mark, as I'll explain in this chapter, but still. Homunculi look messed up. I just kind of twisted to concept to fit my own needs, based off of the Homunculi from an anime called Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I'm so sorry you saw that!**

 **Ninalb - Not too far off the mark there, my friend. Yeah, get him!**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Ooh, I just looked it up on Google. It looks like a very pretty place. So England, huh? Neat! You mean it's actually possible to meet fellow fans in REAL LIFE?! Magic I tell you. Yeah, I suppose he kinda is a bit like her. It broke somewhere between his elbow and wrist, halfway down his forearm.**

 **Anonymous7 - Aw, thanks! Oh. That's what you meant. Long story short, I'm still in that part of my adolescence where I'm trying to figure out my identity and all that boring whatsit. Realized that unlike all my friends I'm not really interested in a romantic or sexual relationship, but I still want to have a relationship where you do couple things but without any romance or sex involved. Started trying to find if that's a thing and after searching I discovered the magical quasiplatonic relationship. Oh, yeah! Seven-point-arm-ripped off! Psh, I was TOTALLY trying to reference that. Totally. Ugh, SAT prep sounds sad. Not much on my end, aside from my dad starting a business. Thanks for asking! :)**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

" _Anything?"_

" _Anything!"_

" _Even -"_

He blinked away the thought, and instead drew his focus to the text. 'Lloyd jst brok. U got 2 explain when u get home. We no its ur fault. Com back asap - Sakura'

She was really getting the hang of the whole texting thing. They didn't have phones quite like this back on Melody Island, but everyone was impressed with how quick she had adapted to life here on the mainland.

Her text-talk was a bit choppy, sure, but so was his. That was the whole point of text talk, wasn't it?

So it couldn't have been the grammar that was setting him on edge. No. It was that phrase.

We know it's your fault.

They knew. But how much? How close were they to the mark?

Cole read a lot. Without a doubt Cole at least knew about the whole alchemy thing. And if Lloyd just broke, then the others were a hop and a skip away from figuring it out.

Ronin kept Dareth in the dark by necessity, and Morro in the dark by fear. Kai's excuse was much less valid.

" _Anything?"  
_ " _Anything!"  
_ " _Even your -"_

He would have to come home sooner or later, and when he did he'd have to face the music. Sakura probably called the others over (yes, called - she had called him at first but he refused to answer, so she left a text. It was likely that she called everyone else as well), so he would have an entire crowd to confess to.

When one admits what lengths they stretched to bring their friend from the dead more or less, it tends to be a lot harder with an audience.

All Kai could do on the bus ride home was beat himself up for not protecting Lloyd better. He should have kept Lloyd from breaking. He should have kept Lloyd safe. Now the boy knew exactly what he was because of Kai's carelessness.

Not EXACTLY what he was, though. Unless Kai was underestimating the brainpower of his friends (could he still call them that?), the only way they would know all the juicy details of the new Lloyd was to ask Kai and for him to be honest.

He could have just pulled up some believable lie from his hat, from the tip of his tongue. It would be so easy. To lie. To convince them of some sob story that wouldn't have them as upset. Then they would believe him and he would go scot free.

That wouldn't work. Nya would see right through him, quite possibly Skylor. And Wu and Garmadon.

And it was wrong to lie to the kid about his own nature, or perhaps lack thereof.

He made sure to take bus 34. Bus 71 was a lot faster, and it would take him right to the outskirts of the forest in a mere handful of minutes. Bus 34 was rather roundabout in its approach, but the extra time was just what he needed. To collect his thoughts, to make a plan of action, to bail and make a run for it.

Just why was he so afraid of the truth, though? Sure. They'd get pissed at him. Call him reckless. Feel betrayed. But that was nothing new to the Fire Fairy. Skylor had done similar things back in the day, back when she worked for the Serpentines and he worked with her. She got mad at him, he got mad at her. They were both reckless. They both betrayed each other. It all worked out in the end.

It would probably do that this time, too. Work out in the end. Everyone would fizzle down and he would walk off with just a few more scratches to add to his arsenal of wounds.

Or maybe it wouldn't. Maybe Lloyd would be thrown in an existential crisis so deep, he'd never return. Maybe he'd jump off into the deep, and maybe he'd never come up. Maybe he'd deem himself worthless as a reflection of his former self. Maybe everyone else would. Just like what happened with Cole and his father when Cole got reincarnated as a Golem.

Kai shifted his weight in his seat. He'd have to face the consequences if that did happen. It was his fault, and they deserved to know.

" _Anything?"  
_ " _Anything!"  
_ " _Even your own -"  
_ Kai began to rehearse what he'd say. Yes, he'd tell them. Yes, he'd tell them the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

"I shouldn't have kept this a secret," he practiced. No, that would give Nya or Cole or Garmadon room to make some snarky comment about how he 'got that right'. That was more of something he'd expect from Jay, but Jay wasn't here right now.

Oh God, he'd have to explain it all over again to Jay when he came out of the Chamber. That would be fun.

But for now he had to focus on THIS confession, the one that was destined to happen the moment he stepped foot in the treehouse.

His stop was at the horizon, and with a heaviness in his heart he pulled the tab.

Ding!

The light went off and the readerboard read in digital text, 'Stop Requested'.

Everything slowed to a stop, and he got his crutches, and he gave the bus driver a grateful wave, and he sighed.

The forest was cold as usual. It nipped at his stitches and bruises and bumps. It clung to his broken leg. It prickled at his goosebumps and it stabbed into his eyes.

It told him to go back, to look away and not take the risk. But he ignored its pleas and kept on. They deserved at least this much from him.

Now that there was no one to think he was crazy for talking to himself, he rehearsed his lines a bit louder.

"You're a Homunculus," he said. "An essenceless being made from mirrors and memories. There was an alchemist on that island with us, and he used my memories and...he used my memories to turn the mirror into a reflection of the real Lloyd. The real Lloyd died on that island, and no matter what I tried...I couldn't bring him - you - back. He - you - are still there, buried."

They'd flip. All of them, all at once. Maybe not Zane. Zane already knew. Probably not Pixal or Skylor either. Really just anyone who knew Lloyd and/or was on Melody Island. They'd freak out at that revelation.

They'd ask what price he had to pay, and that was where the real outrage would come in. Or maybe not. Maybe they'd appreciate his altruism. Maybe they'd honour him and his efforts. Maybe he'd be a hero.

Still, they'd be sad and they'd have questions. And he'd have to answer them all, and he'd have to see his sister cry.

His bruised and scraped hand clenched the latch to open the treehouse.

The sight of his injuries sickened him with rage. It wasn't fair. The same fall that killed Lloyd, only left Kai brutally maimed. Kai should have been the one to die. He was ready to give his life to the kid. Yet Lloyd had to turn into a dragon and break their fall, and he had to die because of it.

It wasn't fair.

Although, the price Kai paid to create a new Homunculus-Lloyd could have been seen as payback. Nya wouldn't see it that way. She'd say he should have haggled. If he wasn't quite so desperate at the time, he might have.

" _Anything?"  
_ " _Anything!"  
_ " _Even your own soul?"  
_ He fought to keep his strong poker face as he opened the door.

" _Yes."_


	59. Right the Wrongs

**Okay kids. This is one doozy of a chapter. And by doozy I mean that it's our longest chapter yet. And by that I mean it's over 3,000 words long. I try to keep most chapters between 1,000 and 2,000 words long. So...either throw in the towel or get comfortable. You're in for a long one.**

 **And it's mostly dialogue, so I can't guarantee it'll even be that exciting. Sorry about that. I kept writing and rewriting this chapter, trying to find a good way to fill in the blanks and explain in full what happened to Lloyd. I settled on this, though I'm not fully satisfied. If I had my way I'd rewrite this chapter another ten times, but I was getting impatient so here you go.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
TheAmberShadow - You'll find out what that means in this chapter. I think I'll keep tight-lipped about the consciousness thing. That's an emotional journey this new Homunculus-Lloyd needs to go on, without me giving it away. :)**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City - Thanks!**

 **Ebony umbreon - Wow, you picked up on the Cyrus thing pretty quick. I don't know when I'll address that, but you are on the right track. Nice! You caught my foreshadowing! Nothing seems to pass your all-seeing eye!**

 **Ninalb - Yeah, it'll definitely be weird. We certainly have come pretty far, haven't we?**

 **CHEESEPUFF - I'll explain that in this chapter, don't you worry. Ooh, fancy! Isn't that just tragic, though? Whenever I meet someone who's familiar with the show, they usually haven't seen past season 3. Don't worry, it won't be dragged out for much longer. Yes, Morro will be there. AH! SPOILERS! I'M STILL ON THE FIRST MS. PEREGRINE'S BOOK! AAAAH!**

 **Anonymous7 - Yeah, me neither! I explained his past with Skylor quite a few chapters ago, but just to recap I also explained it in this chapter as well. If you want you can reread it, it's first explained in 'Chapter 43 - Experiment 34621'. But you don't have to. I know there are a lot of loose ends in this story and I've been doing a terrible job keeping up with them all, sorry about that!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Kai collapsed to his knees with an exasperated sigh of relief. "We're here, Lloyd. We're here."

He set Lloyd down, and set himself down. "Lloyd, we made it."

Lloyd was too far gone to respond. "Lloyd?"  
His chest wasn't moving. It hadn't been for hours. He was so still, so lifeless, so cold.

Kai checked for a pulse, frowned, checked again, checked again, checked again, whimpered, checked again, shook his friend, and checked again. Again. Maybe this time. Again. Again.

Every single time, Lloyd's heart failed to respond. Nothing. Empty.

Kai had no strength to cry. To scream to the heavens and whatever cruel forces decreed this. To pound his fists against the sand. To be angry at Lloyd for breaking his promise. All he could do was lay beside Lloyd's stiff body, limbs sprawled out and blood crusted to his clothes. Kai stared at the sky, unable to move. He couldn't even move his friend away from the rising tides that threatened to wash them both out to sea. He couldn't care. He was alive. And he was too weak - weak, weak, so weak, what a stupid little weakling he was - to even wish he had died in his friend's place.

"This is just pathetic," came a cruel voice.

Kai didn't have the strength to see where the voice was coming from.

"The boy is dead," it said. "So what? On your feet, boy."  
When he didn't obey, a strong arm yanked him up.

The person wore elegant robes, but the darkness prohibited him from seeing their colours. The stranger was a man, with a narrow face and calculating eyes. The man had firm hands that gripped Kai's battered shoulders. "Do you want your friend back?"  
The Fire Fairy spared a glance at the unmoving corpse lying in the sand. "Who…" he found himself asking.

"I will tell you if it suits me," the man snapped. "Now - do you want your friend back?"  
He nodded, unsure of what else to say or do. He was hardly even certain of what was happening.

This seemed to satisfy the man, who dropped Kai where he was and went over to pick up Lloyd. "Can you walk, boy?"  
Kai gave him a quizzical look.

"Can you WALK, BOY?" He sounded more terse and angry now.

"I...I…"  
The man rolled his eyes. Sure, his clients usually were this shell-shocked when he came to them, but it didn't bother him any less each time.

If he were to hazard a guess based on what he'd seen, the boy before him could walk on his own but not very well. His leg was probably broken, and with all the stress he'd put on it the boy would likely have a permanent limp.

Why did his clients always have to be so difficult? The others never had it like he did.

But no matter. Everyone had to do their part, he supposed. The sooner they got all that they needed, the better.

The man tossed the dead one over his shoulder and acted as a crutch for the living one. Hopefully this boy's many scattered wounds wouldn't interfere with the sacrifice. He didn't seem like a very good sacrifice, but they were getting desperate these days and he was sure Kozu would understand.

Kai's mind had frozen in place, left unhinged by all that had happened - so fast, too fast. Who was this man? What was he doing? Where were they going? What did he mean, did he want his friend back? What was going on?

These thoughts would have filled Kai's head if he could only think straight.

To normal people, the two of them looked pretty lost as they wandered the depths of the forest. But the man knew where he was going, and Kai was too drained to question him.

The man set Lloyd down and eased Kai off. He knelt down and pulled at the ground. A hatch?  
He hated how this thing always got rusted shut. No one liked to listen to his pleas that they ought to get this thing replaced. They had people on the mainland who could more than afford to get a new hatch door. Those pigs running the Ninjago Hospital could more than afford to help them get a new door. Yet everyone insisted they keep with this old thing, because it had been with them for so long and they were all feeling especially sentimental. Personally he couldn't have cared less, but it wasn't like he could make decisions like that.

Shoom!

The hatch flew open, and a stale air crashed into him. He picked up the dead one and helped the live one onto his feet.

Then they descended down the concrete steps. The man made sure to close the hatch behind him.

The group was submerged in a darkness only the man's eyes were accustomed to. But it wasn't like it would have made much difference, considering how dazed Kai was. Perhaps it was the blood loss.

A small light in the distance grew bigger with each step, until the staircase was gone and the darkness a distant memory. Now they were in something akin to a laboratory.

People in lab coats scurried from one end of the room to the other, with a theme of red and black dawned on the scene. Beakers, mysterious wall scribblings, murmured shouting, bubbling liquids. Glowing flasks clung to the wall in little cubicles, in a manner that resembled a wine cellar.

A lab coat stopped to look at the man, then at Kai. "Take him to the infirmary, Shi."  
The man, Shi, nodded. "Right."  
Kai didn't have much time to soak in the scenery before being whisked off in another direction yet again. This time, behind a closed door.

The door itself was heavy and metal, and covered in cryptic markings. Shi had to press his hand against a swirl pattern, which caused all the markings to light up in a bright red hue, to open the door.

It swung shut behind them with a loud FFOOM!

This room had a much more sterile feel to it, but the markings didn't end at the door. They covered the walls and floor and much of the equipment -even the doctorly person filling out paperwork in the corner.

"Yisheng," Shi said.

The doctor, Yisheng, looked up. "Ah, Shi. Welcome back. Who might these fine young men be?"  
"No clue," Shi said. "I found them on the beach like this. This kid's dead, and this one's not if you couldn't tell. Definitely close to each other though."  
As he situated Kai down on one of the many hospital cots, Yisheng asked, "Brothers?"  
Shi shook his head. "No, I sense different essences with them. If my sense is right - and it's always right - then the dead one's a Dragon Morph and the live one is a Fire Fairy."  
Yisheng's mouth twitched into a sad smile. He stroke Lloyd's golden locks with pity. "A Dragon Morph, you say? Those are quite rare, what a shame that such a wonderful Creature had to die. Who do you suppose did it?"  
"Well I know that there was some Serpentine activity in these parts," Shi offered. He set Lloyd on the cot beside Kai, and Kai wanted to throw up at the sight of his friend's corpse. But he didn't have the strength.

"We live next to Melody Island, Shi," Yisheng almost scolded. "Of COURSE there's -"

"I meant the POACHERS."  
A pause. "Oh. That would explain some things. Is the Fairy too weak to speak, or are you too lazy to ask him yourself?"  
"You should know I take my job more seriously than that, Yisheng."  
The doctor let out a sigh and mumbled something about how he was only joking, and that Shi ought to lighten up every once in awhile.

For a few minutes of golden silence, the doctor - Yisheng, Kai figured - poked and prodded Kai with several unidentifiable tools.

Just like old times.

"I'll need a Liu Rune," said Yisheng when he was, at long last, done. "But we're all out of them, and Fu Wen...well, we both know what happened to Fu Wen. So until I get the time to make more runes myself, fixing the boy's physical condition is beyond my power."  
Shi cursed, and Yisheng told him to watch his language. "But we're in surplus of Mingxi Runes, so I can at least clear up his head a bit so he's coherent. And a Qi Rune might do to help with his exhaustion. So he can answer questions and whatnot."  
"Do you what you must, doctor," said Shi.

The doctor shuffled through the contents of a nearby cabinet, stuffed with strange stones with even stranger markings on them. He pulled out two, one with a square-like symbol and another that had all sorts of lines and dots and looked like a crop circle.

Shi took a step back, and Yisheng took a step forward. Both of the stones were set down on Kai's forehead, with his wild hair brushed to the side. Yisheng, looming over like a tower of darkness, murmured words under his breath with his hands planted on the stones. Light shone through the cracks…

The mental static cleared up, and now he could see the world. The ringing in his ears quieted so that it was still there but much less prevalent. His thoughts rearranged themselves so that things could finally, once and for all, make sense. The shock that had tensed up in Kai's muscles dissipated, and he could finally move about. Not that it didn't hurt, though, because his wounds were still there and still very painful.

It was all a wonderful relief to be able to think clearly again, until his thoughts fell upon Lloyd. He shut his eyes so he couldn't see it.

The doctor put a hand on Kai's shoulder. "Hey, are you with me son? My name is Doctor Yisheng. That over there is Shi. He found you and your friend there on the beach. I unfortunately can't fix your wounds, but I have managed to soothe your nerves. What is your name?"  
Kai took this moment to celebrate his new mental clarity by taking it all in. Shi, the man from the beach, had dark robes of black and red. His face was scruffy and tall, and his piercing eyes radiated with an accusatory look. His body was just as tall and narrow as everything else about him, from his nose to his fingers to his perfect teeth.

Yisheng, the doctor, was a lot shorter and the spaces between his bones were more filled out, but he wasn't fat. His face was kind and smooth, and his eyes were a striking shade of green. There were strange patterns on his skin, ones that looked like a cross between the symbols on the walls and Anacondrai tattoos.

"Uh, Kai," said Kai. "Could-could you explain to me what's going on?"  
"You're in Outpost 17," said Shi in a cold, authoritarian tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Yisheng waved Shi off to give a better explanation himself. "This is probably going to be a lot to take in, but I hate keeping secrets so I'll tell you all I can. Shi and I are both what are known as Stone Alchemists. We're part of a group headed by a mysterious person known only as the Overlord. This bunker here is just one of the many outposts scattered across the planet. This is Outpost 17."

Kai clasped his head. There was no way ANY of this could be happening. "Wait - alchemists? Alchemists aren't real."

Yisheng pursed his lips. "As an alchemist I take offense to that…but I suppose it's not like I can blame you. We try very hard to keep our existence a secret."  
"Why is that?"

"Because -"

"That's enough, Yisheng," Shi interrupted.

"There's no harm in telling him, it's not against the rules," Yisheng argued. "Kozu might get a bit mad, but he's always mad."

"He's still an outsider," Shi said, his tone more cynical than usual. "And we can't trust outsiders with secrets like this."  
Yisheng gave a sigh of defeat. "Maybe I'll tell you that some other time. Can you tell me why you were on the beach?"  
The beach. Right. Flashes of the Vermillions, of the dragon, of the crash, of Llo-

He couldn't help but turn to the body at his side with a look of terror and disgust. He shut his eyes to keep the tears back. "We were attacked by Serpentines. My friend turned into a dragon, and he got shot down, and…"  
"I'm sorry for your loss," said Yisheng. It sounded like he really meant it.

Kai bit the inside of his cheek and forced a smile. "Eh, it's fine. He lived a good life."

Now it was Shi's turn to speak. "How would you feel if we brought him back?"  
"Shi!" Yisheng scolded. "Don't make promises like that! The least you could do is at least be straight with him about what you intend to do."  
Kai's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" He sat up straighter. He returned Shi's accusing glare with one of his own. Anything to keep his mind off of Lloyd helped.

"Shi here brought you," Yisheng said. "To ask for your permission to create a Homunculus."  
Kai shrugged. "Sure, Shi, knock yourself out." The name was foreign on his tongue.

Shi groaned. This client was especially insufferable. Had it really been worth it to take him from the beach? He could have just left the poor Creature there. Definitely would have saved Shi the headache.

"I mean I want to create a Homunculus clone of your friend here," said the narrow man. "For a price, of course. The price you'll pay is the reason I'm offering in the first place, so don't think this is any bit altruistic."  
Kai raised a brow. "Homunculus clone?"

"I take all your memories of your friend here, put them into a mirror, and transmute the mirror into a figure that matches the memories you provided." Shi folded his arms. God did he hate having to say this every darn time. "And then bam - Homunculus. He'll be just like how you remembered your friend."  
Kai couldn't stop his wandering eyes from trailing back to Lloyd. To that lifeless face he had promised to protect. To that lifeless face that had broken his fall. To that lifeless face that had saved him, that had lit up every room it entered. To that lifeless face he still had a chance of putting life back into, if Shi was to be trusted.

Shi wasn't to be entirely trusted. But…

…

Yes. It was worth it. To the ends of the earth, it was worth it.

"Alright," Kai relented. He swung his legs over the side of the hospital cot. "You mentioned a price."  
"What are you willing to pay?" Shi inquired.

"Anything," Kai said matter-of-factly. His voice was flat, and more serious than he liked.

"Anything?"  
What kind of stupid question was that? Lloyd was his friend. Lloyd was just a kid (Kai didn't know the full extent of how true that statement was, but still). Lloyd was an innocent heart caught up in the not-so-innocent schemes of some not-so-innocent people. He still had a life to live. Wrongs to right. People to save. Things to do. Smiles to give. And it was Kai's fault it had been taken away from him like that.

"Anything!"

Shi chuckled at Kai's tenacity and determination. He was so sure of himself, but how long would that last? His voice was cool and foreboding. "Even your own soul?"  
That certainly caught him off-guard. But it didn't take even a split-second for the ever-gutsy Kai to give his answer.

"Yes."  
Yisheng shook his head. "You need to think through this, son. If you give up your soul, I can't guarantee how long you'll last before you die. See - your soul is what powers your body. It's like a phone charger. When you unplug it, when you're away from it...there's only so long you can last before you run out of power and die. I can guarantee that in your last days you'll be gradually growing weaker and weaker until you finally give. Do you want this?"  
Kai's eyes flashed with pain and turmoil, but he'd made his choice. Lloyd deserved a chance. He deserved to be with his dad and his uncle, with his friends, he deserved to find love and see the world. He'd done nothing wrong. If Kai hadn't had acted so gung ho and went out to save Lloyd without a plan or backup, maybe he wouldn't have been in this mess. Then Lloyd would still be smiling and breathing.

It should have been Kai. With all that Kai had done, with all that Kai had BECOME, it should have been Kai to die.

He used to be a Water Fairy. Like his sister. That all changed when the Serpentines kidnapped them both. Kai supposed he should have been lucky that they weren't poached. They were just sent to a lab to be experimented on. His essence was poked and prodded and changed and altered. It kept on until he had changed completely. Because of their tests, he was the Fire Fairy everyone knew and loved.

Thankfully his sister was spared, but that was because she was young and younger essences are harder to work with. He started a riot to get his sister out of there, it was the riot that gave him his scar, but they caught him. Then that...then that girl walked in. She was his age, and she had bright red hair, and she walked right up to him like she was twenty years older. She called him Experiment 34621, she negotiated with him, she silenced him.

He agreed to cooperate if they left his sister alone. She was given quite the pleasant VIP treatment because of that deal. Nya never knew the hardships of their time in captivity, and Kai preferred it that way. But the things he had to do...the things he became…

They let him out when they saw how useful he was. He provided good data, AND he helped the red-haired girl subdue the others. All the beating and torturing he had to do, all the ways he would hurt fellow inmates. For his sister. And, maybe just a bit, for himself.

Knowing all the lives he'd ended and ruined in that lab, Kai deserved the punishment of losing his soul.

"I don't care," Kai promised. Yisheng shuddered at how genuine he was. "Take my soul, my heart, my mind - just bring Lloyd back."


	60. Lloyd, Meet Floyd

**Hey guys! It's been literal months and I'm sorry about that. If I've made you worried or impatient, I'm deeply deeply sorry.**

 **I just have a lot on my plate lately. My dad recently started a business (so to anyone in the Portland Metro Area, make sure to stop by Waffle Avenue at the Vancouver Westfield Mall). AND school started. I'm taking two AP classes, an accelerated math class despite not being all that good at math, AND a college class - English 102. So yeah. Then there's some emotional junk, but I've mostly worked through it and I'm okay now. Now I've just got too much to do and not enough time to work on this story. I got a bit discouraged and started to think that no one really liked this much, but I'd like to say a huge thanks to CHEESEPUFF for frequently checking back in. That gave me a bit of a boost of confidence, and that confidence reminded me that what the hell - this story was written for my enjoyment, because I have something to say, something to tell the world, images in my head that want out. So who cares if it's not as popular as it could be? Just this morning I thought I'd see how this old story was doing, and all their many comments and concerns touched me deeply. I've decided I want to reboot this story, though I'm worried that it's been so long I won't be able to do it the justice it deserves. And I won't be able to update regularly like I used to. But that's my spiel. In any case, now you know.**

 **So thanks again, CHEESEPUFF. This chapter is dedicated to you.**

 **Alright, let's get to it!**

* * *

No one reacted well to the news - of Kai's sacrifice, of Lloyd's death and of THIS Lloyd's birth into this world. Morro beat up Kai until his gears locked up and Julien had to repair him, and everyone else was just unsure of what to think or feel about this.

First - alchemists were a thing.

Second - Kai was stupid enough to sell his soul to one.

Third - the real Lloyd was dead, and the one before them was merely a glass replica. A good one at that, but still a replica.

Lloyd couldn't recall how that day had ended. It was all an emotional blur after Kai had finished telling his story. But even that story was a bit hazy. His hand shattered, and after that...spots.

The fake Lloyd Garmadon could be found wandering in abject silence.

Days had passed. It felt like centuries. Echo-Zane had returned home to a melancholy air that was trying to be something cheerier. They all put on their bravest smiles for his sake, because he couldn't remember any better. After everything, the last thing poor Echo-Zane needed was to deal with their issues.

He had taken to calling himself Echo-Zane. It was a combination of both his identities, just like everything else about him.

Echo-Zane had half of a robotic face and a robotic heart, pulsing and throbbing a minty blue. If one looked closely, they could see its glow under the see-through cloth of his shirt. Julien had made sure to give him the very best welcome-home day, he and Pixal both. They sheltered him from any imaginable trauma or memory of trauma. These days were precious, and nothing would stain them.

Nothing except, of course, a robo-ghost cop named Morro Kaze.

"Julien?"

"Yes, Morro, what is it? Maintenance again?"

Morro shifted. "No, not this time. Actually...see, I'm tying some loose ends on my report. Interviewing everyone involved in this insane case, making sure I have all the information before I submit to my boss."

Julien nodded. "Of course. I understand. I don't have much to tell you though - although isn't your report, what, 120 pages already?"

Morro chuckled sheepishly. "182, actually. But this is a big case. There's a lot of evidence, a lot of factors, and a lot of stories to tell."

"And how much longer do you plan to make this?"

After a thoughtful pause, Morro said, "I only plan to interview you, possibly your son, Nya, and Skylor."

Julien took a sip of his coffee, and set his old blueprints on the table. He had spent the afternoon going through his old work - cataloging, organizing, discarding what he could no longer use. Looking...looking...for something. "Well I can tell you now that aside from what you already now about me, there's not much to tell. And I'd prefer if you keep your distance from my son."

Morro opened his mouth to speak.

"No hard feelings, officer, I'll assure you that. It's just that he's very fragile right now. He remembers what time itself looks like. He has the knowledge of the universe crammed into his head. The only way to alleviate the insanity it brought upon him is the injections Ronin gave to Pixal. But as a result, not only has his memory become spotty, but now we have to keep him from remembering what he forgot - because those memories will negate the effects of the medication, and he'll spiral into madness again. I wouldn't expect you to understand, as you're not a father, but - "

"Right, right," Morro shook his head and held his hands in surrender. "I get it. I don't understand what you're feeling, since as you say I'm not a father and can't remember much of my own, but I understand WHY you're feeling that way. Sorry to waste your time, Julien."

Julien responded with a pleasant smile. "It's fine. Anything else I can help you with?"

Morro looked around. "Actually, yes."

Julien leaned inward.

"Could you tell me where I could find Nya? She's next on my list," Morro requested.

"I think she said she was going to the hospital. For Jay, no doubt."

"Right, of course," said Morro. How had he not thought of that? "I'll go ask Pixal to use her jet. Oh and where's -"

"My son and Pixal went to the library."

Julien waved him off as Morro left the kitchen and made his way up the stairs. His metal joints creaked with every step, and machinery whirred as white noise.

He couldn't feel as a robot, but it was certainly better than the alternatives. Though, he couldn't deny that some of his emptiness had come from how quiet his mind was. How clear it was. It wasn't crowded, and he didn't think it would be ever again.

Speaking of, where was Lloyd - er, Floyd? Ever since discovering his truth, that glass Garmadon had taken to calling himself Floyd. As in, Fake Lloyd.

Morro thought that was downright stupid.

Lloyd was up in a nearby tree, swinging his legs and letting his handless arm dangle limp. Morro wished his heart could skip a beat, but instead his felt his gears grind up. Close enough.

"Lloyd! What the HELL are you doing up there?! Get down, you'll hurt yourself!"

Lloyd shot him a depressed glare. "I told you, it's Floyd. Lloyd is dead."

"Really? Then who am I looking at? Because I don't know any other dangerous blonde idiots that like to feel sorry for themselves up in trees. Stop being so grim and get down here!"

Lloyd took his time climbing down. He shoved his jagged glass stump into his hoodie pocket. "What did you want, Morro?"

"Okay, you can quit it with the sass kid. I just figured you'd do better on the ground. You know, where you can't risk FALLING TO YOUR DEATH."

"Since when do you care, Morro?"

"Maybe since you sacrificed your body to save my life? Maybe since we became 'best bodymates forever'? Maybe since you became one of my only real friends? Maybe-"

"That was all Lloyd. But Lloyd's dead."

PAP!

Lloyd's head had been tossed to the side with the upturn of Morro's hand. Sure he was made of glass, but he was still durable enough to take a slap to the face. "Next time I hear you spouting B.S like that, I'll hit you harder."

Lloyd didn't like the sound of that.

Morro looked away and huffed. "Seriously. I just thought you could do with some fresh air, maybe join me at the hospital. I was going to interview Nya while I was there. But maybe if you're in such a funk I should just leave you to wither in your own self-pity. Idiot."

A stiff, uncomfortable silence. Morro had done a terrible job covering his worry with malice. As much as Lloyd - or Floyd, or whatever - wanted to wallow in his woes, he also had to consider how such an action made Morro feel.

"To the hospital, huh?" Lloyd asked. "Can I...could I tag along?"

"Sure thing, Lloyd."

"It's Floyd," he corrected.

"I'll slug you."

"I'll shatter."

A stiff laugh. "Come on, kid. I have some questions to ask Nya. And maybe Doctor Wyplash, while I'm there. First things first, we need to borrow Pixal's jet. And she and that ex-Visionayr -"

"Zane."

"Or Echo, or Echo-Zane, or I don't really care. Point is, they're at the library and that's where we need to be."

Lloyd gave a terse nod, and followed Morro into town. Neither said a word, but this silence was less sharp than the one before. You could breathe in this silence, you could loosen up and relax in this silence. You let it fill you up and guide you by the hand through a wonderland of neutral thoughts. No dark feelings to swirl in your mind, no red tint to see on everything, no use for fake names. They were Lloyd and they were Morro, and they were walking through Jamanakai.

The library was as libraries are, big and blocky and made of bricks with the as-per-standard stone pillars and flagpole. They went through the revolving door and into the as-per-standard interior. Echo-Zane and Pixal could be seen parousing the far corners. They only needed Pixal, though, so they came to her.

She was nose-deep in concealer to hide her tattoos and a thick self-help book. Morro didn't get the chance to read the cover.

"Can I help you, Morro? You have more questions for me, I take it?"

He shook his head. "No, just wondering if I could borrow your jet. I need to take a trip to the hospital. Need to talk to Nya, and I hear that's where she is right now."

Pixal grinned and said with a hum, "Certainly. All me to call...HIM...and he will be right over with the jet."

Morro didn't need her to clarify to know who HE was. Classic case of daddy issues. Echo-Zane lucked out in having such a loving father.

Pixal contacted Cyrus Borg via text, and the rendezvous was set up to be in the big field out past the blacksmith shop Kai used to work at.

"You could have just called and asked," Pixal said.

"I don't have your number," Morro said.

And so they exchanged numbers.

"That's one way to get a girl's number," he said, snickering.

"Yes, I suppose." She laughed. "But on the other hand I may be already taken."

Even Lloyd could read the look of longing as her eyes trailed over to Echo-Zane's direction.

And so they left, and headed for the rendezvous.

It was equally quiet, and equally long, but neither of them had a problem with that. Although, the journey wasn't long enough for Lloyd's dark thoughts to creep back in.

They exchanged pleasantries with Borg and Cryptor, the pilot, when the jet picked them up. The ride to the hospital was filled with empty small talk, but it made Lloyd feel a little bit better about himself.

Unlike Morro, Borg respected Lloyd's wishes to be called Floyd.

They were dropped off at the Borg estate, and driven by limousine to the hospital. Cryptor told them in his usual dry, mechanical tone that he'd come back for them in two hours. Before they could negotiate a different time, Cryptor had already sped off - straight into a speeding ticket, no doubt.

If Morro could feel, he would have noticed the fact that Lloyd was clutching his hand out of fear. Something felt off...and maybe familiar?...about this place.

The nurse directed them to where they could find Jay Walker, where Nya also likely was.

The sterile lights pounded on Lloyd's eyes, so kept them downcast.

"Relax, Lloyd."

"It's Floyd."

"I'd sooner die again than call you that."

"After all the many times you've ALREADY, I don't think one more would be that much to you."

They both shared a hearty laugh.

There was a person at the end of the hall with black, tufty hair. His eyes were as broken as Lloyd's hand, and wore a familiar light blue sweater to accompany the horrified expression on his face.

Morro figured it was because of his intimidating appearance. "Sorry to scare you, kiddo. I'm Morro, I'm a cop. I'm sure my stunning good looks might set you off but I'm not-"

The boy shook his head. "N-no, not you..." He lifted a quivering hand towards Lloyd. "You. You're...you're..." He blinked away tears. "L-Lloyd?"

Lloyd's glass heart hammered into a million grief-soaked pieces. "I-I..."

"It's me, Brad. Don't you remember?"

"I..."

He didn't remember.

Morro noticed this. He yanked Lloyd away and whisked him away before things got bad.

They walked past Brad, and he hollered after them as they took a sharp turn left.

Morro didn't want this to jostle Lloyd's fragile mood, but it was too late.


	61. Old Friends, New Memories

**The fact that I'm updating so soon is a great sign. I'm happy about that. And I'm SO grateful at how understanding you all have been!**

 **Warning, though - this chapter is probably OOC on part of Lloyd and Brad. But it's been months since I've written this and even longer since I've watched Ninjago so...yeah.**

 **Also, in other news, this story is coming to a close. If things go according to plan, there's only about 8-10 more chapters left before we say adios to Veni Vidi Vici. I know, I know - "how could you, Erio?! You just got back and now you're going to leave again?! How awful of you!" But before you start rioting in the streets, I've been planning this ending since before my summer hiatus. Fear not, though. I have a sequel in the planning stage that I may or may not write.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Ebony umbreon - Nah man, it's fine. You are right on the mark, as always!**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Aw, really? That deeply touches me. I'll do my best to make these final chapters enjoyable for you :)**

 **Sugar Pixal - You too? I love Morro and Lloyd friendship, it's great to write. Thanks!**

 **Ninalb - Thanks :) Well, I can't say there are no weak points. Nothing's perfect, after all. But thank you so much! Really? I didn't realize people looked up to me. I got warm fuzzies reading that. And if you're not great at characters, that's okay. Everyone has their strengths. I suck at pacing. This story has terrible pacing and even worse continuity. I'd like to think characterization is my strength. And you have your strengths too! What I love about your work is how good you are at setting mood and hooking your reader. It's why I get excited when I see you've updated a story. So I guess I admire you, too. Seriously? Your favourite?! AAAH OH MY GOOOOOOOD :)**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Don't worry, I explain all that in this chapter :)**

 **Drawkill Vear - I promise I won't forget you guys. How could I? You and all the other readers are amazing! Hey man, I get it. I'm usually too lazy to sign in too. And funny you should mention it, I'M on a school computer as I write this (as most of my chapters are done). Haha!**

 **And...enjoy! (Man it feels good to say that again)**

* * *

No one should have seen or experienced the things that Brad and Gene did. But that fact was, they did, and that was that. Brad could only say it was a good thing they had Doctor Wyplash looking out for them, or they wouldn't know WHAT to do with themselves.

Maybe Gene shouldn't have gone into Reconstruction. He shouldn't have pressured Gene into trying to regain some semblance of normalcy. They should have just lived with the hand they were dealt and left it at that. But no.

The room was silent as Gene stared at the mirror across from him. He never spoke much, but the last time he did he said, "Mirror, we want a mirror." And he said that over and over, in multiple tones and voices.

Since they positioned the mirror at the other end of the room, all Gene ever did was stare at his reflection and sometimes mutter to himself about how it was, "Wrong all wrong, his hair is wrong - no it's not, that's how I look - but it isn't - shut up - you stay out of this - can't we get along - "

Brad placed a hand on Gene's shoulder. It was human and fleshy, and just as it had been before he was transformed. "G-Gene? I'm heading to the vending machine. Do you...do you want me to grab you anything?"

Gene took his time turning to face Brad, and gave him a quizical look. "Who are you - that's Brad you idiot - that's his friend - that's our friend - we're in this together - something to eat? - I'll have a soda - but soda's bad for our teeth - go to hell - who cares about health anyway let's party - that was rude you know- "

Brad grimaced through a weak smile, and headed out without hearing all that Gene had to say.

Was it really Gene though, at this point? Wyplash said it would take years for Gene to psychologically recover from whatever hell he'd seen in the Chamber. Brad didn't know if he could wait that long.

 _"You guys ready?"_

 _"I've got the eggs."_

 _"And I have the toilet paper. What house are we headed for?"_

Every time he recalled that night, he remembered a different person suggesting they screw around at the creepy house down the road.

 _"Are you sure about this?"_

 _"What, are you scared Lloyd?"_

 _"N-no, I just...let's get this over with."_

They should have listened to Lloyd. It was his fault...his fault Lloyd was sold to that circus. Who knew what Lloyd endured there. Who knew if Lloyd was even alive. If he was, he probably hated Brad's guts.

He inserted a dollar with a stiff sigh, reached up high to press the 7B button, and watched as a soda bottle was pushed into the bottom of the machine. He reached in to pick it up. Then, he heard it. That voice.

"Relax, Lloyd."

"It's Floyd."

"I'd sooner die than call you that."

"After all the many times you've ALREADY died, I don't think one more would be that much to you."

Laughter.

It sounded...familiar? Like a fuzzy de ja vu sensation in his jaw, oddly placed as it was. And that name. Lloyd. Or Floyd, or whatever. Like Lloyd's old voice, only much deeper and more mature.

Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. He was just thinking about Lloyd, and now by some cosmic coincidence Lloyd just HAPPENS to show up? Either the stars were aligned in a certain way, or the universe just hated him.

Either way, he had to know.

He ran into the hall and stood there. There was the boy, the object of his curiosity: a tall, lanky teenager with floppy blonde hair. LLOYD'S floppy blonde hair. And his green eyes, and...wait.

But Lloyd was his age, not a teenager. So who was this? Was it no mere coincidence that this stranger looked like his friend? Or was he as insane as Gene?

The other one he was with was a clanky robot. It was shorter than Old Lloyd, and caked in a layer of rust that had been unsuccessfully scrubbed at. Its eyes were the newest part of it, shiny and bright as it locked on Brad's own. It covered its gears with a black hoodie and sweatpants.

He gave a broken yet soothing grin. "Sorry to scare you, kiddo. I'm Morro, I'm a cop. I'm sure my stunning good looks might set you off but I'm not -"

Brad shook his head. "N-no, not you..." He lifted a shaky, uneasy hand and pointed to the Old Lloyd. "You. You're..." He bit his lip. After all this time, after everything. What would happen? What if he was crazy? If he was just crazy, then this misunderstanding was about to get embarrassing.

Old Lloyd looked just as heartbroken and confused as Brad was. "I-I..." he stammered.

That stammer. That lip quiver. It was Lloyd, it was all Lloyd. It had to be.

"It's me, Brad. Don't you remember?"

"I..."

Did he really not remember? Or was he just feigning amnesia to get out of this surely awkward interaction? Either way, his response was a punch into Brad's gut.

And before Brad could put in another word, the robot whisked Lloyd away. But Brad followed. He had to watch from afar and see if he could gather information. What was up with Lloyd? And why? And who was this? It was in the name of spywork, of friendship...and also because he didn't have to guts to speak to Lloyd directly again.

"Who was that? Did Lloyd know him?"

"You might. I don't know. You and I never really talked much about your past. It was always a sensitive subject for you. I know the details, to some extent - the circus, the witch, all that fun jazz. Maybe he's one of your old friends?"

"Maybe. But he was friends with LLOYD, not me."

"If you don't stop with this Floyd-identity-crisis nonsense I swear on my afterlife I will throw you out the nearest window."

"You wouldn't."

The robot laughed. It sounded mostly organic, but with a bit of a mechanical/ghostly accent. "Got me there, Lloyd."

Brad quirked a brow at the bizarre, out-of-context interaction between the two of them. He shadowed them down the hall, lurking just out of peripheral.

The two of them approached the Reconstruction Wing, where all the Chambers were kept. The robot did the honours of opening the door. Brad waited for the door to close behind them before continuing his pursuit. What business did they have in the Reconstruction Wing?

The two of them made way to Chamber D9, where two girls were.

"Hey Nya," said the robot. "And Skylor, this is a surprise."

"Just wanted to say hey to Jay," said a girl with fiery red hair in a ponytail. So they were here for Jay, the idiot who failed to heed Wyplash and Brad's advice.

"Well hi there Morro, Lloyd," said the black-bob girl. She kept her hand pressed against the viewing window, and her voice was sad.

"What can we do for you boys?" asked the ponytail girl.

So the robot, this cop, was named Morro. What was Lloyd, however old and strange he had become, doing with a cop?

"I was wondering if I could get some interviews done," said Morro. "Lloyd's just tagging along for the ride. He needed to get out of the house."

There was a mutual understanding of what Morro meant, and it made Brad feel rather out of the loop due to his ignorance.

"What do you need to know?" asked the black-bob girl. She removed her hand from the viewing window and set it at her side.

"About the intel you gathered," the cop replied. "My other interviews say that you found out about Melody Island by hacking into Serpentine communications."

It was at that moment that Brad reconsidered listening. This was probably top-secret stuff. If they found out he was listening in to something so important, they'd probably shoot him in the head without batting an eye. But...figuring out what was up with his old friend was just as important, possibly even more so.

The black-bob girl crossed her arms over her chest. "I see."

The ponytail girl, presumably Skylor, gave the other girl a playful jab. "You hacked their systems? Bravo."

The hacker blushed. "It was nothing, really. But if I'm to hazard a guess, you want to know what I found?"

Morro nodded. "That would be nice."

She loosened up and leaned against the wall. All eyes were on her as she began to speak. "I don't really know HOW I know how to hack things and build things - I'm self-taught, I know that much. But the fact is, I DID hack into their system, and I found out about a few unsettling things."

"Like Melody Island?"

"Exactly. Like Melody Island. And...something else. Something huge. I haven't been able to figure out much about it, just a name."

Morro whipped out his notebook and began scribbling notes faster than humanly legible. "Do tell."

"It's the reason the Serpentines exist," she said. "Its the motive behind their operations, that much I can gather."

Skylor shuddered, a knowing spark flashing in her amber eyes.

"Its purpose is to manipulate essences to create a monster," she continued with fear in her words.

"The hybridization project," Morro offered.

The black-bob girl shifted her weight. "Sort of...but this is bigger than that. It involves more essences and a bigger, scarier monster. The project was called...oh darn, what was it?" She racked her brain for a name.

Everyone had their eyes on her. The air was sucked out of the room, along with any wandering thoughts. Even Brad momentarily forgot about Lloyd, consumed solely by a fleeting suspense.

Skylor was the one to provide the name, in a flat and melancholy tone. "Project Patchwork."

Morro's mechanical eyes glistened at the sound of that, and wrote it in bold on the next page. "So I take it you know a thing or two about this Project Patchwork."

Skylor gave a slow nod. "Yeah, and I'd love to gush all the gory details, but it seems like we've got some prying ears about."

They were talking about Brad. Crap.

He tucked behind the corner, pressed his chest against the wall, hoped they'd forget about his presence.

Morro and Lloyd exchanged glances.

"I'll go talk to him," said Lloyd.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine, Morro. Just give me a moment."

A few steps, then silence. Brad let out a sigh of relief, thinking himself to be in the clear. Maybe Lloyd couldn't -

"So can you explain why you've been following us?" came Lloyd's mature voice, breaking the stony silence.

Brad jolted, startled. Looking up he saw a soft, familiar, yet fragile face smiling down at him. "Let's go," Lloyd insisted, gesturing to the exit. "They're not talking about anything interesting anyways."

Brad figured that had to be a lie - Serpentines? Conspiracies? Essence manipulation? He wanted to soak up every word they had to say. But to Lloyd, it wasn't a lie. After everything he'd been through - or rather, THOUGHT he'd been through (it was hard to differentiate HIS memories from Lloyd's) - all this talk of conspiracies and monsters exhausted him.

'Floyd' pushed the door open and let Brad leave first. The physically younger of the two led the way to a nearby bench out in the hall, where they sat side-by-side in awkward silence.

"So...who exactly are you?" Brad asked between sips of his drink.

The blonde turned to look at him, but said nothing.

"I mean, you look like my friend Lloyd," Brad continued. "But you're a lot older than he was. But I can't deny you're just like him, just a different age. So I'll ask - who are you?"

This new Lloyd turned downcast, staring at his inward-facing feet. He shoved his hand into his hoodie pockets, both out of shame and as if his hand was something to hide.

"You don't know, do you?"

The Homunculus shook his head, in a way so childlike it made Brad feel old. "Sort of, but not entirely."

The young bowl-cut boy took a long sip from his drink before saying, "Well I can't explain why you're so old, but there's no doubt you're Lloyd Garmadon. You SHOULD be my age, you WERE my age last I saw you. We were...friends."

Brad's companion had a heavy, distant look in his eyes. "I'm sorry. You're thinking about the other Lloyd. I'm just a replica of him."

"So then who does that make you?"

"Everyone calls me Lloyd, but to differentiate between us I call myself Floyd."

"How original," Brad said, voice dripping with sarcasm and sass. "B-but you say you're a replica. What do you mean by that?"

'Floyd' looked away. His hand dove even deeper into his pocket. "The Lloyd you knew, he's dead. From what I'm told, he was taken to a circus and tortured extensively. They picked him and prodded him and took him apart, and put him on display. He had a lot of scars to show for it. But an amateur witch came by and fixed him up, but since she was an amateur she screwed up his essence a bit."

"And as a result he got older," Brad murmured.

Floyd smirked softly, and tilted his head. "That's right." A stiff breath, before continuing. "She rescued him and took him back home. Fast-forward a few years, now Lloyd has a lot of Creature friends. But the Serpentines attacked, and one of his friends was taken. In the effort to get him back, Lloyd and some police officers - "

"That robot you were with, right?"

"Aren't you observant. His name is Morro Kaze. Lloyd and his friends went to thwart the Serpentines and get their friend back, and in so doing wound up on an island."

"Melody Island," Brad conjectured. The pieces were coming together.

Floyd laughed, but it was a sad laugh. "I hardly even need to tell the story at this rate. But...but while on the island, Lloyd was killed by Serpentines. His friend sold his soul to create a Homunculus of Lloyd. Homunculi are-"

"Beings made from alchemy. Fakes made of memories and glass," Brad finished. He had done quite a bit of reading in his spare time. Between Gene's condition and living in a hospital, he didn't have much better to do. "So that's why you can't remember me. Because you are only made of your friend's memories of you. What your friend doesn't know about you, doesn't exist."

Floyd got that look in his eyes again, and they both fell into silence once more.

Brad finished his drink. What was he going to do? Gene was on the cusp of madness - no, he'd long-since taken the plunge - and his other friend was old, dead, and replaced with a copy made of glass.

All because of a stupid decision to go screw around where they shouldn't have.

"What's it like?"

"Hmm?"

"To be a copy, I mean. I imagine your memory is pretty spotty, and that's got to be a serious sort of identity crisis."

"I just have to differentiate myself from Lloyd, and I'll be fine. But right now everything is coming together, and I can't tell what's me and what was him. Everything I do, every part of me - it's fake, I was designed this way. And everyone I talk to insists that I'm him, I'm him, no matter what I say or do I'm him."

"Aren't you? At the end of the day, I mean."

Lloyd or Floyd or whoever he was dropped his head into his hand. "I don't know- um, who are you?"

"Brad. I'm Brad Tudabone." It felt weird introducing himself in such a circumstance.

"Right. I don't know, Brad. I mean, it's comforting to know that no matter how much I change they'll always love me. But..."

Brad narrowed his eyes. He was the child in this scenario, why was HE the one giving life advice?

Heh. He really had done a lot of growing up. Too fast.

And now that he thought about it, if Floyd was a replica of Lloyd, then that meant that he'd only really existed for a few months or years. This Homunculus was probably YOUNGER than him!

Brad laughed at the true bizarreness of it all.

"But what?" he asked some time later.

A pause. "Nothing, Brad," the glass boy hummed. "It's nothing. Never mind."

* * *

 **As most things with this story, the Floyd thing was created on the spot. I just kinda wanted to get an idea of what you guys think of this development, and whether I should pursue it or not. Because I'm having a hard time knowing what to call him. Do I call him Lloyd? Floyd? Share your opinions in the comments!**

 **~Erio**


	62. Everything is Fine

**How is everyone doing today? For those of you in school, how is it going for you? I'm currently a sophomore, and I think the year is going great! That opinion may change once my college classes start on the 25th...**

 **Comment Reviews:  
**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Brad sort of looks like his regular self, but he has flower powers and retractable wings. I might show these powers, but I'm not sure how it would fit into the plot. No need to apologize, friend. I'm pretty sure Floyd won't gain any of Lloyd's memories. You'll find out... ;) Misako passed away when Lloyd was little, but I haven't given much thought to how. I appreciate the enthusiasm!**

 **Ebony umbreon - Definitely too late to go back on him being made of glass, but I mean that I haven't decided whether he's going to accept the fact that no matter what he's still Lloyd...or if he's going to decide to be his own person and brave his own path. That's my dilemma at the moment. Yeah, the depth of these questions is what's got me so stuck.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

 _"I don't like it here, Daddy," she said. "It smells bad."_

 _He got on a knee and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I know, darling, but can you handle it for just a little bit? If we do well, they'll give Mommy back and let us leave. We'll be back home before you know it. Okay?"_

 _"Daddy," she said again, not changing her melancholy tone. She looked away and scanned the room. "Where's Mommy?"_

"Skylor. Skylor. Skylor!"

She jolted awake with a stiff, rumbling breath. "Mmm, how long was I out?"

"Not long," said Nya, who had woken her up. "Just letting you know we'll be landing soon."

"That was a short flight."

Mr. Borg cut in. "It's always a short flight. This is arguably the best jet in the country!"

Skylor nodded, and rubbed her face. "That's nice."

Nya settled into her seat across from Morro as Lloyd (or Floyd, no one knew what to call him) spoke up. "So what's the plan once we land?"

Skylor sat up straighter to respond. "Well, we're going to go back to my old lab to try and destroy what's left of Project Patchwork."

The glass boy swallowed hard. "YOUR lab?"

"Or right," Nya said. "You weren't there for that. How DID your conversation with that kid go anyways?"

It was a touchy subject, so they dropped it.

"But yes," Skylor confirmed. "It's my lab. I used to be part of the Serpentines. My father and I led the project."

 _"What if she's dead?!"_

 _"Darling, don't say that."_

 _"You don't know if she's fine, I don't know if she's fine - she could be dead. Dead, Dad, and we'd be doing all this for nothing!"_

 _Chen massaged the purple bags under his eyes. "Skylor, dear -"_

 _"No! I just - " her breathing hitched and her shoulders heaved. Gratuitous tears rolled down her face._

 _Chen gripped her shoulder in an attempt to reign her in and calm her down. "Whether or not your mother is still alive, we have to hold out the hope that she's okay. Then we'll all get to go home and be a family again."_

 _He dried her tears and pulled her into a hug. The middle-aged man whispered into her ear, "Everything will be fine, sweetheart. I promise. But you have to stay strong for your father, alright? Don't cry, princess."_

Morro didn't take his eyes off the window. "But Skylor, you made one error in your statement. WE will not be going anywhere. Me, you, and Nya will be going to the lab. Lloyd will stay at home where he's safe."

Lloyd's eyes turned stern. "What do you mean, I'm staying home? Of course I'm coming."

"No you're not."

"And why not?"

"Because, oh I don't know - because you're made of GLASS and could BREAK!"

Morro and Lloyd continued to bicker, and no one bothered to mediate the argument.

 _A clipboard was handed to her. She flipped through its pages._

 _"This is Experiment 34621," said Clouse. "He's your age."_

 _Skylor nodded and kept reading through his file. "You managed to change his class?"_

 _Clouse looked offended. "Is that to imply I can't?"_

 _"N-no sir, it's just that I'm rather surprised. It didn't think it was possible."_

 _Hearing such a professional tone from someone so young would have been shocking, if Clouse hadn't been the one to groom her like that._

 _"It says here," Skylor continued. "That he used to be a Water Fairy. But you managed to change him in into a Fire Fairy. Is that related to this wound over his eye?"_

 _Clouse shook his head. "That's related to a jailbreak he led. Just a week ago, he tried to break everyone out of the cells. After capturing him, he was reprimanded accordingly, and that's where the wound comes from."_

 _Skylor raised her eyebrow at that. So they tortured him._

 _"And what would you have me do to him?"_

 _"Being his age," Clouse replied. He turned to look through the window into the interrogation room, where the experiment sat in chains. "We thought you'd do best at interrogating him. We want to know why - why he made such a commotion. And to make a...a proposition of sorts. But that will come later."_

 _She flipped through a few more pages. "Without even asking I can tell you why. He's been separated from his younger sister of three years, and he's probably worried about her. If the condition they were found in is anything to go off, they are both probably homeless and orphaned. He feels responsible for her. This is just a protective instinct."_

 _Clouse harrumphed._

 _"Alright, sir." She headed for the door to the interrogation room. "I'll talk to him regardless, since you asked so nicely."_

Skylor looked out the window. The world below was slowly growing larger and more defined as they flew onward, and the arguing voices on the jet grew smaller and smaller.

She knew she promised to lead them to her old lab, but what if wasn't even in use anymore? She hadn't been there in quite some time. They probably relocated.

Still, it was their best lead to go on and Morro was very insistent about leads. He WAS a cop after all, so it made a bit of sense.

Cop or not, he was very immature and brooding. Hopefully there was a story behind that. If there was anything worse than an insufferable rebel type, it was an insufferable rebel type without a cause.

 _She entered the cell and locked it behind her. There were scorch marks on the wall._

 _"You're back."_

 _She smirked, but it was sad._

 _"What's wrong, doc? Finally sick of keeping me like a caged animal?"_

 _Skylor didn't respond to that. She kept her face pulled as taut as her emotions. She set the camera on the table, propped so it could catch everything that happened, and gestured for him to sit down with her._

 _"This is session 243," Skylor said, voice drained of its usual colour. "I am Skylor Chen, speaking with Experiment 3462-"_

 _"For the last time, doc," the experiment huffed. "My NAME is Kai. Use it."_

 _A pause. "Experiment 34621."_

 _The experiment groaned, and looked away with a scowl. "Let's get this over with."_

 _"You're not your usual chatty self, 34621. Why is that? You've usually been more friendly than this."_

 _He scoffed. "Have you considered it might be something more, for lack of better term, HUMAN? Like the fact that it's my sister's birthday and I'm not there to celebrate it with her? Can all your data tell you something like that?"_

 _Skylor grinned with victory shining through her cold and sad eyes._

 _The experiment let out an angry laugh. "Ah, y-you...I walked right into that. You got me to say that. You set me up didn't you."_

 _She nodded slowly._

 _"God I hate you scientist types. So what do you want today, DOC?"_

 _"Just to talk."_

 _He shook his head. "You left out the part where you dissect and run tests on me once our chatting is over. Doc."_

 _Skylor bit her lip. He was rather testy today. Then he added, "But it seems you're not in much of a talking mood yourself."_

 _She mentally gripped her new wounds and stitches. A sensation she could feel radiate straight through to her core. "It's nothing. Just had to make a sacrifice for one of my projects."_

Project Patchwork was one of her worst achievements. All the things she did, to herself and to others, for the sake of that stupid project.

She tightened her fists at the thought of it. The screams. The voices of her victims shrieked on and on in her brain, eventually fading into a cacophony of dull moans. She hated the voices, but after what she'd done, she at least deserved it.

Mr. Borg reminded her of her father, as he saw everyone off the jet. "Thanks again for the ride, sir," said Morro and Lloyd and Nya and Skylor, all in their own personalized variation of the phrase.

He said in response, "Of course, any time. It's good to feel useful now and again. And make sure to...to tell my dear Pixal hello for me, alright?"

They knew it was futile at this point but they all gave their word.

Yes, Borg was very much like her late father. The poor man. Jovial and pleasant, yet scary when you got on his bad side.

 _"You know I have to do this," said Skylor. The reality of her actions had yet to settle in. She thought they did, and to some extent they had - but the emotional gravity was something she hadn't quite grasped. All she knew was how much further this would push her project._

 _Chen's eyes were wide with pity and fear, and a bit of rage. "S-Skylor, darling! Why?"_

 _"It's my job, Dad."_

 _"B-but...sweetie I'm your FATHER!"_

 _She prepared to pull the lever. "I know, but I have to do this."_

The voice of her father, Chen, was by far the most poignant. She shuddered as it reverberated through her soul.

Where other memories turned grey and sour with time, her father's last words were always loud in her mind.

 _"Please don't kill me, princess."_


	63. Don't Punch our Backup, Nya!

**Hey all! How are your lives? Do tell. I love hearing about everyone's day. My day has been pretty good. I'm almost finished with my video game, and I got a Sudoku book and have been relentlessly Sudoku-ing all day.**

 **AND GUESS WHAT'S COMING OUT ON FRIDAY.**

 **You guessed it - the Ninjago Movie! Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments :)**

 **Comment Reviews:  
1234ronin - I hadn't considered Nadakhan reappearing, and it's a bit too late in the story for that now. But I will totally see how to include him in the sequel. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll see what I can do with that! **

**Ebony umbreon - I actually WAS thinking about mirroring Zane's identity 'I am the titanium ninja' moment with F/loyd. Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks current Zane isn't the real Zane. What are you talking about, you are a GREAT help and I appreciate your input!**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Yeah, Skylor's got some junk going on. Oh my God I'm such an idiot! I totally overlooked Garmadon and Wu reactions! Thanks for reminding me. There are too many characters to keep track of. I think I'll try and narrow down the cast in the sequel. When you asked if he was part dragon for chapter 34, I knew you were right and it killed me inside. I had it planned since chapter 1 that he'd be a Dragon Morph, but I kinda screamed when you prematurely figured it out. So good for you, you smarty pants! And I'll clarify some things in this next chapter, but you get the gist of it :)**

 **Drawkill Vear - Haha!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Nya Smith was not happy.

In her defense, she had no reason to be.

First, her boyfriend was a skeleton. Second, he was trapped in a more-or-less coma machine in an attempt to fix that. Fourth, Lloyd Garmadon was dead. Fifth, her brother sold his soul to create a glass replica of the aforementioned dead blonde. Sixth, without his soul her brother wouldn't last much longer before giving out and dying. Seventh, the entirety of Project Patchwork and the fact that Skylor (and Kai, to some strange extent) headed the project. Eighth, the project was ongoing and needed to be stopped.

Ninth, Nya didn't really know why she was here.

Skylor, Morro, and Nya had taken up the issue with Morro's rough-around-the-edges boss. For something this potentially huge, they'd need police backup. Skylor and Morro had a role to play in all this, and were important to the mission at hand. But Nya? She was here to avenge Jay and save the world. But was she important?

"So what exactly is this project all about?" asked the police chief. He rested his chin on a fist, peering soullessly into the robot before him.

Morro shuddered a moment before turning to Skylor for assistance. "This is Skylor Chen, an ex-Serpentine. She worked on Project Patchwork. She could explain it better."

Skylor shifted her weight, uneasy. This was going to be an awkward conversation with someone who could and probably would arrest her over what Morro would have her say. But all the same, this was a crucial step in destroying the people who destroyed her life. Skylor was willing to face the consequences of her past.

With a cold sigh she said, "When I was little, my mother was taken by Serpentines. She was held hostage, because they wanted my father to work as one of their scientists. I was raised in that environment, and had to work for the Serpentines in an effort to get my mom freed and so that we could all go home."

Nya might have told Skylor, visibly uncomfortable with sharing the story a second time, that she didn't have to say what she didn't want to. But as much as Skylor disliked it, everyone knew she HAD to. That was Nya's tenth problem.

Skylor continued in spite of herself. "The whole purpose of the experiments and tests we were forced to run on our captives - Creatures, all of them - was to create a massive Chimera."

The chief let out a low, confused grunt. He didn't need to ask to be answered.

"Basically, a Chimera - or Hybrid, however you choose to call them - is a being with multiple essences fused into its person. The Serpentines wanted to, for whatever strange reason, create a mega-Chimera."

Now it was the chief's turn to speak. "But aren't Witches the only ones capable of essence manipulation? That's what makes them Witches, after all!"

Nya stifled a terse chuckle. Wouldn't the world be a better place if that were the case. No one paid attention to her inappropriate laughter. Perhaps because she had packed herself into an unseen, dark corner of the room where she wouldn't need or be needed. There were plenty of dark corners in an office lit only by a desk-lamp, but she sat in the only one with a chair.

"With my...assistance..." Skylor said. She left out the part where she did more than just assist. "The Serpentines invented a way to fuse essences together without the help of a Witch. They put a Witch's essence into a machine. My mother's essence."

That detail was definitely left out of the first iteration of the story. Nya leaned in to listen.

The chief gave his condolences, and Morro quickly followed suit. No one could tell if he did it out of his heart or because his boss was watching.

"It was a massive effort called Project Patchwork. I don't know all the details, because I was never in a position to know more than I was told, but I gather it is the very reason the Serpentines exist."

"And the poaching?"

"A side-hobby, for lack of better term." She shrugged. "To fund the real work. MY work. Well it WAS my work, until I defected. They poach some of their Creatures, and experiment with the rest."

"What do they plan to do with this patchwork monster?" Nya couldn't tell who had asked that.

"No clue," said Skylor. "But I can assure that if the monster had too many essences, it would destabilize into oblivion. I can assure you, also, that the Serpentines cannot continue their project without me."

Morro interjected to still feel visible. After an after-lifetime of being a ghost, he was sick of being invisible. "So without Skylor, they're sitting ducks. The perfect time to step in and destroy the lab. Skylor says she can show us where it is."

The chief scratched his chin and gave a thoughtful groan. "I see. And what's your other friend here for? The girl in the corner?"

Nya jolted. They were talking about her. "I'm here to help."

"No you're not, kid," said the chief. "If you don't have a purpose absolutely detrimental to this matter, then you need to go back home."

For anyone keeping count, and she was definitely keeping count, that was the eleventh button pushed today. Eleven buttons too many.

He was treating her like some child. She wasn't a child, she wasn't weak. She wasn't WEAK! How DARE he! She was probably more important than him! What could HE do?! He hadn't seen or done what she had, he just sat around doing nothing all day! And he dared say she wasn't 'absolutely detrimental'. That was another word for useless, and useless was another word for weak. She'd show him!

She vocalized her concern - rather aggressively, for that matter. To paraphrase in PG terms - she told him between explicits to screw off for implying she was too weak for this because she was not weak and if he wanted to see weakness he ought to take a long look in the mirror.

Nya had realized what she had done when it was too late to take back her violent and insistent string of curse-words.

A moment of starched silence. Then, the chief stirred. He rose from his seat without a word and walked for the door. Morro and Skylor watched in suspense. She'd be reprimanded for sure. Morro could see it now. Someone as harsh as the chief would arrest Nya for the language she directed at him, no doubt.

Step. Step. Step.

Nya didn't know how he'd react to her, and no amount of stammered apologies could possibly compensate for the horrible things she screamed at him. She wasn't thinking, she lost her temper, she had a long day, she'd make it up to him, she was so sorry.

He stopped halfway to the doorway, and made eye contact with the Water Fairy. "You say you are not weak, but your colourful linguistic display only serves to demonstrate your emotional maturity. Perhaps when you can ask me nicely, I'll reconsider."

The police chief continued for the door, beckoning Skylor and Morro after him.

What did he just say to her? Did he just - he DID just. Nya Smith's pride wouldn't have that.

So she retalliated by socking him in the jaw.


	64. Words of Wisdom from a Rock

**Well my friends, this is probably the last calm chapter before it all goes straight to hell (almost literally, in Jay's case). Enjoy it while it lasts.**

 **I was really surprised by the reactions to last chapter. I didn't think so many people would root for Nya. I thought y'all would be all, 'Whoa Nya, chill out.' But what you guys were really like was, 'Left hook! Left hook!' You guys never cease to surprise and amaze me.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Drawkill Vear - Haha yeah!**

 **casualcandy - Thank you :)**

 **Ebony umbreon - That is a definite bonus, good for you! You are so right. I appreciate the input. Movie Zane kinda is a bit creepy, they definitely took him too far.**

 **TGnat - Ah yes, this is online algebra. Um, um...y=mx+b! (I don't know math)**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Dragons ARE awesome. As a fellow student, I totally feel your pain. School can be the absolute worst sometimes. Sudoku buddies! They will? Ooooh this is gonna be awesome! Don't worry, this chapter is about Cole :) Cheesepuff, noun: 1-smartypants. 2-a wonderful human being. Yes, he definitely did. Haha seriously?! Strange friends :)**

 **Ninalb - Yeah, just a bit...**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Music, painting, poetry, dance - you name it, he did it. And not just that, but he EXCELLED. A true artist at heart.

Although, it couldn't have been at HEART per se, because he had left of his former self. And he was nothing like the original, human Cole Brookstone.

The name in itself was a form of irony. Cole, as in coal. And Brook-STONE. If being a Golem didn't mean he had to die first, then he would have laughed his rocky butt off over the clever pun.

He was sure that if Motor Mouth were here, he'd laugh about it regardless. That was just Jay's way.

Cole didn't like things to go too fast. And yet - Zane was taken, they went to find him, the Melody Island drama, Lloyd died, and was brought back because of Kai's stupidity...

The list of his grievances could go on.

But he did his best to hide away his thoughts and bury himself with words. Words of books. He wasn't sure what the content was, he was just skimming, but the letters and symbols and WORDS drilling into his eyes was all he needed to distract himself from his problems.

Lucky for him, another distraction walked right into his line of sight and literally asked for attention.

"Hello, Cole," said the mature voice of an older man. Cole looked up to see Garmadon peering at him. Though Cole was sitting on the floor, his rock body was so monolithic that he and Garmadon - who was standing - only saw eye to eye.

"Hey, Garmadon," Cole greeted. He folded the book over his lap. "What brings you to my corner?"

Garmadon was a young man in old skin. A mistake his brother certainly regretted. His eyes were sad, and his face introspective. "I was wondering if I could ask you a question."

Cole shrugged and moved over for Garmadon to sit beside him. "Go on ahead. I'm all rocks."

Garmadon raised a brow.

"I'd say 'I'm all ears', but...I'm not. Golems don't even HAVE ears. For that matter, I'm not sure how I hear in the first place but either way I can't say I'm all ears when I don't have any. You know?"

The human rolled his eyes with a chuckle and sat beside the younger Golem.

"So what do you need, Mr. Garmadon?"

Garmadon seemed hesitant, reluctant, yet unwavering in his desire to spit it out. Cole commanded him to say what was on his head or forever hold his peace.

After some much-needed coaxing, he was finally out with it.

"It's about my son."

"I'm sure. A lot of things are these days."

Garmadon ignored that, lost in his own thoughts. "I don't know what to do or feel. So many conflicted emotions. So many unanswered questions and fears and doubts. Lloyd's life is in shambles. His life is OVER. He's dead. His mother died when he was young, then he was kidnapped, turned into a dragon and tortured extensively..." He made a crazed and aimless gesture. "...THIS all happened. Now Lloyd is dead and in his place is a glass replica."

Cole dog-eared the edge of the page he was on and set his book down. This was going to be a doozy of a conversation, so he wouldn't get to reading until some time later. "Have you talked to Wu about it?"

"I tried, I tried," Garmadon grumbled. His hand sagged into his hands with defeat. "But no matter what, he's always meditating or avoiding the subject. I think that's how he's trying to cope with it all, is avoiding the issue."

"Which is the opposite of the solution."

"Exactly my point. That's why I'm here talking to you."

"To me specifically, yes. But I have to ask why. You could talk to Kai or Julien or Borg or - or really anyone else. But you chose me. May I ask?"

Garmadon looked away and bit his lip. His body language was surprisingly youthful for such a time-worn face. Cole didn't know the story of how Garmadon and Wu got to be so old. "I'm trying to understand what this new Lloyd is going through so..."

Cole didn't know why that offended him, but he refused to let it show past his flat and unamused tone. "So you came to someone who's already died and been reincarnated."

The silver-haired man gave a sheepish yet affirmative shrug. Well that settled that. But that also UN-settled something in Cole's rock gut. It was odd verbally and openly acknowledging that he was reincarnated. He was hardly anything like the old Cole. All they had in common was the human heart pounding in his chest. Cole could only hope that Garmadon didn't follow in the unfortunate footsteps of Cole's own father. So he would strive to prevent such a fate.

"Well I can tell you that he's going through some changes," said Cole. "He's not going to act like the old Lloyd, the Lloyd you know because he ISN'T...well, it's not really my place to say whether he is or isn't Lloyd anymore. That's for him and him alone to decide."

"So what do I do?" Garmadon asked, all too eager. The two of them didn't make eye contact, just collectively stared at the couch across the room and the former Visionayr who was napping on it.

Cole thought on that. Do the opposite of what MY dad did, is what he wanted to say. But that would involve opening old wounds and exposing Garmadon to a grim reality. And it would make Cole the recipient of pity. He hated pity, as most people did. "Be there for him. He's going to change and experiment with his identity. Being the reincarnated version of someone who's dead...it isn't easy. You don't remember everything from your past life, and you don't feel right inside. There's this great disturbance in your heart, and you begin taking interest in things you didn't before and you begin to question who you are. You feel like a fake, a cheap clone - and it doesn't help when everyone tries to size you up to the standards of your former self."

Garmadon looked like he was taking notes. Like he was one sentence away from pulling out an actual notebook and writing this stuff down. Considering who Garmadon was, it would have come as no surprise if he did.

"So if he wants to be Lloyd or Floyd or whatever he's calling himself," Cole continued in a wise huff. "Support him. Don't tell him who he's supposed to be, don't fit him into a box of who you think he is. Because he's not totally Lloyd anymore. He's got a new soul and a new body and a new mind, and with that new agency and new thoughts. Grant him that. But don't treat him like he ISN'T Lloyd, like he isn't your son. Because you're who he will look to for guidance and love. It's your job, no matter who or what he is, to give that to him. If he chooses to be Lloyd, great. If he chooses to brave his own path, also great. But you have to give him the chance to make that decision for himself."

Garmadon's eyes got a bit damp but he reigned in his emotions. "You sound like you speak from experience."

"That's why you came to me, isn't it?" Cole laughed, and felt a weight in his heart when he heard no response laughter from a certain Lightning Fairy. Garmadon snickered a bit as well, but it was brief and painful.

The middle-aged man gave his sincerest gratitude before preparing to depart, but Cole snatched his hand before he could.

"Garmadon," he said gravely. "Whatever you do, don't hurt him. Above all, don't hurt him."

He wanted to object and say that he would never even DREAM of - but the look in Cole's shining abysmal eyes said, "Treat him well and treat him human, because my father didn't, and if you don't I will never forgive you."

"You have my word," vowed Garmadon.

Then, something broke the silence.

In a heaving, breathing, panting mess was the blonde-haired subject of their conversation. His eyes were frantic, and his voice was hysterical. "M-Morro, Nya, Skylor - they're gone!"


	65. Safe and Sound: Tin Man

**What is up with my favourite people today? You guys ready for things to get intense? Personally, not really. There are going to be fight scenes, and I SUCK at fight scenes. But at least this will be good practice for me. So your critique will be highly appreciated in the coming chapters, as always.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Ebony umbreon - Now now, I said ALMOST literally. It may as well be hell, but it technically isn't. A-Team?**

 **Ninalb - I HAVE neglected Zane relations, haven't I? Now that you mention it, I probably should at some point address how everyone feels about the new Zane. He's the whole reason they started this adventure, after all. Nope! This isn't Zane's happy ending yet, because it's not the ending! Don't worry, there's more to come and I plan to end both this story and the sequel on a happy note!**

 **CHEESEPUFF - I'm too lazy to go back and see if Garmadon did or didn't know about Lloyd being a dragon (yes, laziness is my primary character flaw), but if he didn't already know or hadn't already been told then I can imagine he found out when Kai explained the events leading up to Lloyd's death. And TWO assessments? Dang, those suck man. My heart goes out to you.**

 **Anonymous7 - Eh, it's fine. There is no legal obligation to review at all anyways so don't worry about it. You too? Seems school is insane for everyone! Science jokes oh my God I love science jokes! (I'd make one but I'm an idiot and I can't science) Well I kinda briefed over Cole's backstory within the first ten chapters of the story, but I haven't explained what his father did to him. I don't plan to, because that takes things to a whole new level of dark. I've explained it only in comment reviews. That does not give me anything to look forward to for next year...Wow, you live across the river! I had no idea! Best of luck to you as well! And are you kidding, I LOVE long reviews :)**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

"I don't like this."

"I wouldn't expect you to. This is all a lot to take in."

The street was dark. The headlights were bright, and reflected against each individual raindrop that passed in front of the car.

It was a small, inconspicuous car. Dark in colour. The GPS navigator on the dashboard was leading them to the middle of a forest about a two-hour drive away from Jamanakai.

Times like these, Morro was grateful to be both a ghost and a robot. If he were still human, he would be getting tired and weak this late at night.

His walkie talkie crackled with static-y noise. A tinny voice came from the other end. The voice of his police chief. "Kaze, do you read?"

He pulled the walkie talkie up to his face and replied, "Loud and clear, chief."

"Ask that Witch friend of yours if we're almost to the destination. We've been driving for hours now, and my men are tired."

Morro reached the walkie talkie up to Skylor. She leaned in to say, "Don't worry, sir. You'll take the next available left, and it's straight on from there."

All the police officers that had been assigned to this job were paired off and put into civilian clothes and civilian cars - if they were going to rat out what may have been the biggest Serpentine operation to date (if Skylor was right, even bigger than the Melody Island scandal), they needed to do so discreetly. Secrecy was a must for slipping under the radar.

The chief asked what kind of security they'd expect to face.

"Nothing your men can't handle," Skylor assured. She grabbed the walkie talkie from Morro as he continued driving. "But if you must know, there's an electric barbed-wire fence - 20 meters tall, I'd say. And-"

"In Imperial Measurements?"

Skylor snickered. Roughly 65 feet."

A small, mechanical gasp escaped Morro's mouth. The chief was just as shocked by such a height, but no one could have guessed by how stoic he seemed.

"With such an arsenal and all that manpower to your disposal chief," the Witch continued. "You should be able to get past the security detail with ease."

A pause. All to be heard was the wip-wapping of the windshield wipers. Skylor made a gesture for the left, and Morro turned onto a small path that cut through the trees. It was crooked, narrow, and unpaved, and the ghost cop wasn't sure it had been used much before now.

His night terrors that would shake him into screaming fits were darker. The water he avoided with a healthy fear of death was wetter. The memories that traipsed and twisted in his gear-made gut were sicker. So why did this simple road give him such a bad feeling?

"Are you sure about this, Skylor?"

"You're the one who wants this, officer."

"Fair point. But are you sure YOU want this?"

Skylor didn't answer, just looked at the windows. She never thought she'd see these trees again. She thought she'd long-since abandoned the way their blighted branches coiled and writhed in her mind.

Well, even people as smart as Skylor Chen were wrong every now and again.

"The truth is," she said. Morro made good to listen to her. "I'm...I'm scared. This place is the source of all that is wrong with my life. Ever since leaving, since meeting Jay and all his friends - you included, officer - I've finally caught a semblance of normalcy." She gave a pathetic, grimacing chuckle. "Not that I deserve it."

She looked ahead at the memory prison at the end of the path. Tall, monolithic stone structures loomed ahead. A metal chain-link fence formed a menacing perimeter, and within it dead grass and hard concrete. Guards patrolled in heavily armed teams of three.

Skylor's breath stiffened, and Morro slowed the car down to ten miles an hour. "This is the place where I killed my father."

Morro's chest cogs shuddered. "You don't have to."

"It feels to get it off my chest," she said. She pointed to a small clearing just to the right of them, and he got the idea. He pulled up and parked the car. With the lights off, and the wipers paused, the world became eerily still.

Morro turned to face Skylor. She pulled a lock of hair out of her face. "See, I didn't really KILL him. I just...extracted...his...essence for the project...so..." A defeated sigh. "So I DID kill him. Darn, I'm a horrible person."

Morro didn't make eye contact, but his presence at her side was comforting. "The fact that you're here now says otherwise. I-"

He was stopped short by strange thumping noises. It came from behind them.

Thump thump thump. It was rapid and confused.

A muffled voice said, "Hey! What the-" "Shut up, you'll give away our location!"

Morro's stubby robot fingers traced the edges of the gun at his holster. "You have the gun they lent you?"

She held it up as proof.

In a flurry of movement and controlled panic, Morro and Skylor swung the doors open. They emerged into the rain, ran to the back and aimed their guns at the dark. "Who's there?!"

The muffled voices returned, closer now. The thumping was louder. "In the TRUNK!"

Morro knew who it was. Dear God, he'd get fired for this if he was right.

"Let us out!" came a second voice.

"We apologize for getting in the way, but if you could open the trunk that would be appreciated," chimed a far more polite third one.

Skylor had figured it out too. "What do we do, Morro?"

He gave a mischievous smile. "What do YOU suppose, Miss Chen?" He sat on the trunk in an act of rebellion. "If I'm right, we have a Serpentine in our trunk."

"We are NOT- "

"He's talking about me, Nya," said the polite one. "Although considering I defected, I find that highly offensive."

"Or me," said the second voice. "I mean, I AM a Serpentine."

"You are?" the first asked.

"The species, not the gang," the second retorted. "Just let us out, ghost-cop. We just wanted to help."

Skylor returned her gun to her holster. "The others will be here any minute, and you know the chief won't be happy to know we have stowaways."

"You mean you didn't come alone?" asked the first.

"No, you idiot, we didn't," Morro growled. "Practically the whole police force is on the way for this raid. Give me more credit than that. Although you're right, Skylor. What SHOULD we do about these imbecile tagalongs?"

A chorus of offended scoffs rang out from under him.

She thought on it. "Leave them in the trunk, I say. Make them keep quiet and keep them in there until we get back."

Morro adjusted his weight, and Skylor sat beside him. "So now we wait for the chief."

A quiet moment, but it was short-lived.

The third voice bubbled up over the rain. "I apologize deeply for this, Officer Kaze. I did not intend for it to come to this. But I have no other choice. Please get off the trunk, or else you will get hurt as well."

Morro and Skylor obeyed, suspicious of what the voices had planned.

Then, it all came together. A flash of purple and blue exploded from the trunk, fiery and dangerous glow stabbing into a sharp throb.

Morro's car was a smoldering pile of ash and debris. In the midst stood three figures - a Water Fairy, a Hydroscale, and a Wisp.

"Nya, Pixal, and Sakura." The last name was posed as a question. "Fancy meeting you three here."

While Morro mourned the loss of his car in a fit of shock and horror, the girls pursued conversation. Sakura was the one to explain their presence in the trunk. "Pixal was on her way back from the library. I was going for a jog. We were heading back to the treehouse together when we stumbled upon Nya sneaking into the trunk of a car. After hearing what she had planned. We decided to tag along."

Morro threw his arms into the air. "I hate ALL of you right now. How - how did you -"

"Wisp powers," Pixal answered, the blue glow not yet fading from her skin. "I regret it coming to that, but you were resistant and I saw no other options."

"So now you HAVE to take us with you," Nya insisted.

Morro formed an 'x' with his arms and shook his head. "NOOOO way. The chief will have my head."

"You're a robot, we can put it back on," the red-head joked.

"Who's side are you on, Skylor?"

"I dunno," she hummed. "I think they could be useful. Wisps are impervious to everything but Deepstone, so I think Pixal could be an asset. And Sakura could subdue all the guards with her siren powers. And Nya is a great fighter, last I knew."

And so it was settled. They would go ahead and break into the lab, because if the chief saw Morro with stowaways, much less one that punched him not three hours earlier, his vocation would be on the chopping block.

They traveled in secrecy, slinking in the shadows.

Morro didn't like how he couldn't feel the rain. It was an assailant hailing him from all sides, and he couldn't feel it so he couldn't dodge the water-bullet rain. He wondered what water felt like. He wondered if he could talk to Wyplash about a Reconstruction Chamber of his own, but unlike Jay he made the smart choice and decided against it.

It was Nya and Pixal's time to shine when they approached the fence. Both of the girls used their flying abilities to lift everyone else over the fence. From there, it was Sakura's job to subdue the guards with a song.

The guards had fallen asleep, and as long as Sakura kept it up they'd stay that way. From there, there was the door.

It was big and black, and held shut with a rusty and complex lock. It was like a keypad but looked a bit higher-tech than that.

Skylor came to it and typed in the number 4-5-1-4. That was the pass-code back when she -

Of course. She should have expected them to change it.

"So what do we do now?" she asked with a shrug. "It's too late to turn back."

"That actually sounds like a great idea," said Morro. "We have NO reinforcements. We are just a small and incompetent squad of weirdos prancing around like we're off to the see the gosh-dang Wizard of Oz!"

Skylor placed her hand on his shoulder, just like her father had always done for her. "Morro, calm down. There has to be another way to figure out how to get inside."

A moment of thinking. Only rain, only the sound of Sakura's entrancing melody filling the air. Nya, Pixal, and Skylor wore makeshift earbuds to keep the lullaby from putting them to sleep as well. Morro, being a robot and a ghost, didn't have to worry.

"What if I use my Wisp powers?" Pixal offered.

Skylor knocked on the solid door. "Deepstone. Serpentines know what they're doing. And plus, we need to keep it as quiet as we can. We're just five. Slip in, destroy Project Patchwork, slip out."

Morro Kaze didn't like the idea that invaded his mind. It wasn't his own. It was loud and obnoxious and told him to do something he was sure to regret.

But did they have much other choice?

"Here's a thought," he said. "But it's dangerous. And it'll hurt - me, specifically."

No one had objections. Not even after Morro explained it to them. It was almost more hurtful how willing they were to give it a whirl.

Morro took a deep and unnecessary breath. They all watched him - except Sakura, who was preoccupied with singing.

The last time he did this, it was to give Lloyd his body back. Great deal of good that did, seeing as he turned around and got said body killed. But if Morro was going to blame anyone, it was himself. He should have...could have...would have...but he didn't. Now he'd do all he could to protect Lloyd's new and slightly more fragile form.

A familiar sense washed over him, as everything grew faded and fuzzy. Slipping in and out, seeing stars.

Then, the pain.

Nya had used her water powers to halt the rain for a moment, to grant Morro safer passage.

His skin adopted a sore radioactive tinge, his eyes dug deep into their sockets - black, and lifeless as the evergreen phantom scars ghosting his eyes. His silhouette glitched as his dead heart palpitated. His ectoplasm snapped and cracked, and everything spun. He started to fade from his fingertips and onward.

"Fight, Morro, fight!" Skylor cheered. She kicked his robot body to the side. It looked so alien from this perspective. Lifeless, limp, homely.

Not like the cold and excruciating way being dead felt. It was alone, it was sharp, it was explicit.

He reached out a shaking, quivering hand to the lock. So far, so far. He just had to possess it, and all this would be over. But he couldn't. He was isolated, he was alone. He stood there, floating and in pain.

"Morro!"

"Officer Kaze!"

"Hang on! I know you can!"

And so he did. For them. For all of them. All it took was a slip. All he had to do was slip into the keypad lock and let it overtake his body - what left of a body he had. Then everything slipped into him, and everything grew dark.

It was empty, aside from the streams of endless and intangible binary code that surrounded him from all sides. For a moment he questioned where he was, until it made sense.

"So this is what it's like inside a lock," he said. No one could hear him. Truly alone. "No, inside a program. From the looks of it..." A glance over the numbers said it all. "I'm in the security system."

He knew nothing about code, but somehow he understood what all the code meant and what it did. He touched a binary strand and let it ripple and bounce. He couldn't see it, but he knew he'd just unlocked the door.

Morro tapped another strand, and a dozen security camera feeds popped up. He focused on the one that showed Nya, Skylor, and Pixal walking through the newly opened doorway.

He let himself have this small victory. He, Morro Kaze, had possessed more than just the lock - he'd inadvertently possessed the whole security system!


	66. Safe and Sound: Dorothy

**How is everyone doing this fine day? Anybody see the Ninjago Movie? I did, it was pretty good :)**

 **Sorry if this next chapter sucks, I am terrible at action scenes/fight scenes and right now I'm just delaying the inevitable. This chapter WAS supposed to be filled with action and glory. But nope, now it's just a bunch of dialogue and emotion. Next chapter, though. Next chapter.**

 **Before we get too deep, I have an important announcement: Remember how LegoTerraWarrior gave me permission to use their idea for the Hydroscales? And how Sakura is technically THEIR character? Well, now the Hydroscale concept has shifted ownership! Now it is the property of Stydealized. They just wanted me to let y'all know. Anywho, carrying on.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Ebony umbreon - That was a surprisingly simple explanation. Wow, I'm ignorant. It's not plot-relevant, but it is a bit interesting if you can figure out what is says... ;)**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Well he IS still a ghost and has been for a large part of his life. Probably would! Yeah, he's going to have a lot of catching up to do. Thanks for checking in on me, it's just that I'm a high school student taking college classes and I started said college class on Monday. I made it a point not to do any updating until I finished my homework. NOOO! I'll try not to spoil anything for you until then. It is kinda neat how we're on other sides of the world, isn't it?**

 **Sugar Pixal - It's all good :) Why thank you. You think so too? Oh my God how convenient it would have been if he just possessed things - and also really cool. Now he's not a ghost anymore. It'd be tough to beat the show, but the movie was still fun to watch.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

"Is it wrong that hearing that makes me feel better about myself?" Skylor asked. They took a left turn.

The halls were lit with sterile lights, and stuffed with uncomfortable silence. All to be heard was the distant buzz of machinery and the low conversation held between a Wisp and a Witch. Nya stayed back and spectated.

"How so?" asked Pixal.

"It means I'm not the only one who made stupid mistakes," Skylor said.

"I fail to see what was so 'stupid' about what you did." Pixal tried not to let the unpleasant memories get to her. "You were forced into the Serpentine fold. I came on my own accord. You had no choice."

Skylor let out a disgruntled sigh. "Yes, but some decisions were mine to make."

The Water Fairy took this as an opportunity to speak. "I take it there's a story behind that statement."

"I'll explain when we get to my old lab," Skylor promised. She stiffened her grip on her gun. "Provided they haven't moved anything."

"And if they have?"

"Then this'll take a little longer than it should."

Nya flew up close to Skylor. "I've been meaning to ask - why IS it so dead around here? I was expecting a heavily fortified conspiracy compound filled with guards and bad guys to hit."

"You sound disappointed," said Skylor. She turned right, and the other two flew after her. "Don't be. It remains as 'heavily fortified' as you can imagine. They try to prevent trespassers, but in the off chance that trespassers DO make it past their other security measures, they have the sickest trick of all." She paused for dramatic effect, and also to try and remember if she was supposed to go left or right. It had been a while, after all.

When she decided on left, the trio continued on their journey through the labyrinthine white halls in that direction. "The layout is a maze. All the doors and paths lead to an inescapable prison where you will be dissected, tortured, experimented on, and will eventually succumb to death either at their hands or your own."

Nya and Pixal froze. "Then this -"

"- Is all a front," Skylor finished. "Yes."

"Where are the REAL rooms, if all these are fake and lead to inevitable doom?"

Skylor looked at her feet. A tile slightly less white than the rest. She knelt down and pulled at it from the corners. It was a heavy sound, like she was unearthing some great evil. And in more ways than one, she was.

Nya gawked, jaw fallen to the floor. Clever. Pixal was equally surprised, but managed to keep herself far more composed.

Beneath where the tile was, was a long, dark chute. "You aren't afraid of the dark, are you?"

In a wry tone, Pixal said, "It is the dark that should be afraid."

They couldn't argue with that. Skylor jumped in first, followed by Nya and Pixal. But since the latter two could fly, they both descended with more of a graceful glide than Skylor's rushed fall.

Nya helped her onto her feet.

They had landed on a large and soft cushion, but it was too dark to see its colour or shape. The room they were in was small, like a closet, and it had a small window in the iron door.

Pixal took a peek outside the window. A grim hallway much like the ones above but much more dim, and with Serpentines crawling everywhere.

In a hush voice, Skylor noted how strange it was - they had security cameras to monitor who snuck in and trespassed. They would know if they looked at the security footage that someone had made it past their facade and into the real workings of the lab. Upon landing they should have been SWARMED by soldiers and guards.

...

Then she remembered Morro, who was currently possessing the security system. Skylor made a mental note to thank him later.

"There are labcoats hung on the wall over there," the Witch whispered. "See if you can find them in this darkness. Put those on. They won't suspect a thing if you look like you belong here. Nya, retract your wings. Pixal, turn off your glow."

Pixal and Nya did as they were told, and got on some labcoats. Skylor did too. She needed a disguise, though. Her face was well-known, and well-hated, around in these parts.

Pixal kept a makeup kit on her at all times - to conceal her tattoos, mostly, but also because she liked feeling pretty.

Not only did Pixal have the makeup, but she was also pretty good at applying it too.

"We should have a makeover party when all this is over," said Nya. "If we can destroy Project Patchwork."

"When," Pixal corrected. "When we destroy Project Patchwork."

"Right."

Skylor opened the door with her heart in a flutter. "Act natural."

Pixal was the best at acting natural. She spent long enough roaming Serpentine bases to know how to walk, talk, and breathe. Nya had never been to a Serpentine base, but she picked up a thing or too from watching Pixal. People always praised her acting skills, but before now she just thought they were being nice.

Something about this place seemed familiar, but that wasn't all too surprising. From what Skylor and Kai told her, she'd spent some time here in her youth.

The one who didn't act natural at all, ironically, was Skylor herself. "Act natural," she kept muttering. Her eyes fluttered every which way, staring down each passerby with suspicion and loathing.

"You're the one who should act natural," Nya hissed.

Thankfully, no one spoke to them or interacted with them. That was just the Serpentine way. No one was to speak to the scientists.

Left turn. Left turn. Right turn. Left turn. Just as many twists and turns as the upstairs facade.

The door that spoke to Skylor most was abandoned. It was old and in a state of splintered disrepair. The sign read, 'Laboratory 4937'.

"Here we are." Her fists were clenched, jaw tightened, body tense and rigid. She kept her head down and her pounding heart smothered in her throat.

"Here we are," Nya echoed. "So do we just open the door?"

"There's a code."

"Great," said Pixal. "We happen to have someone who can crack that code for us, remember?"

"I remember. Now we just wait for him to unlock it for us."

It felt as strange as it looked, standing idly by the door. But no one was to speak to the scientists, so the three of them went unbothered.

It didn't take as long as it felt for Morro to unlock the door for them, and when the light on the lock finally turned green there was a shared sigh of relief.

Skylor opened the door.

A big, large room. Tall, vaulted ceiling. Control panels lined the walls. Buttons, levers, switches, screens.

Pixal closed the door behind them, and everything got a whole lot darker. The primary source of light became the throbbing entity in the center of the room.

It pulsed with every colour of the rainbow, spiraled and danced around its own plasma body. It was lodged between what looked like a mechanical stalagmite and stalactite pair. Wires hooked up to it, and crisscrossed along the stony yet metallic floor.

Skylor's breathing hitched.

"What is it?" Pixal asked. "What is wrong?"

"They..." she smothered a gag, bile rising into her throat from repulsion. Her eyes shook and her body shivered. Her face threatened to become wet with tears of pity and regret.

She reached a hesitant hand out to the entity towards it, but remorse and terror pulled it back.

"They..."

"What is it, Skylor?" Pixal tried to remain calm. "What did they do?"

Skylor's knees wobbled, until the tremors were too much and she collapsed. Pixal crouched down beside her.

"What is that thing?" Nya asked, taken aback.

"Things," Skylor corrected in a defeated tone. "Multiple essences fused together. That is Project Patchwork. She swallowed the rising vomit. "I...I took the essences of innocent people and smashed them together. This is the product. Normally, something - something can't handle more than eight essences...before it destabilizes and implodes on itself."

"That's why you killed Farukon, isn't it?"

Skylor nodded, head hung low enough to hide her tears. "I managed to make it...stable. Stable enough to hold fifty."

"But that's - "

"That's like killing fifty people." Skylor couldn't bear to look up at her monstrosity, or listen to the haunting screams that tore through her brain. "And my father is among the dead."

They thought that that was why she was upset. Even Pixal would have been upset about her father being dead, as much as she hated the man.

But that wasn't all.

"I coded my research," Skylor whimpered. Pixal rubbed her back reassuringly, but Skylor still felt alone. "So that they couldn't abuse it. I made it so that if they tried to fuse the essence bundle with a host body...it wouldn't react. So it wouldn't react to any host body...aside from my own."

Pixal halted.

Her head sagged into her hands as she cried, "I modified my own essence, soul, and body so that only I was compatible with the bundle. I thought that..." A pause. A pain dug into her heart, and it grew deeper and heavier with each passing moment. "I thought that if they couldn't abuse my research, if they couldn't activate the Project...that they wouldn't do something like this..."

Pixal looked up at the Project. It flickered like it was a computer glitch, and trembled with a strange sort of unbalanced elegance. The sight alone helped Pixal figure out what Skylor had seen, and such a realization had Pixal in terror as well.

Nya was still clueless, though. "I don't get it," she said.

"Look at it, Nya!" Skylor nearly howled. She snapped her head up and locked her steaming, flooded eyes on those of the Water Fairy. "They desecrated it! If they had read my research notes, they would have known that it can't handle over fifty essences! They would have known why it won't fuse to a host body! They would have known not to tamper with it! They would have known not to try and make it work, because only I can do that! But I coded my research, and in an attempt to make it fuse to a host body they ruined it!"

The look in Nya's eyes said she still hadn't put the pieces together.

She rose her tone to try, unable to hold such an immense emotion. "SEVEN HUNDRED! That's how many essences they fused into that thing! That's how many essences are in the bundle! I see them all, I hear the screams of SEVEN HUNDRED dead souls! It's unstable beyond repair! Because they didn't know any better, they poked at it and prodded at it and tortured it! They tried to fix it, but they just damaged it! All those tortured essences, and it's MY FAULT! I never should have coded my research, because then they would know and they would have known not to do something like THIS!"

Nya's eyes widened with horror and disbelief, and she craned her neck to look at the essence bundle before her.

Then, a cold voice.

"You're right," said the voice. It was too dark to see where it came from, but the sinking feeling in Skylor's gut told her who it was. "You shouldn't have encrypted your notes. Our ignorance made us do some...unfortunate...things."

She dried her eyes on her arm and rose to her feet. She'd never let him see her cry, never let HIM see her weak. He would only prey on such a vulnerability.

"Clouse," Skylor hissed. "It's been a while."

They still couldn't see the owner of the voice, but according to Skylor this was 'Clouse'.

"Indeed."

"Who is Clouse?" Pixal asked.

Nya retorted, "More like WHERE is he."

Clouse let out an omnipresent chuckle, but said nothing.

"He's the man who held me and my father hostage," said Skylor. Her shoulders became as vitriol-infused as her stiff voice. "He's the boss around here."

"But how did he find us here?" asked Nya. This was bad. "Doesn't Morro have control of the security system?"

Another laugh, this one far darker than the last - darker than the air around them, darker than the weight of Skylor's sins on her heart. His whiny, snarling accent was hard enough to listen to, but the arrogant tone he took made it all the more difficult. "Hmm, Morro...is that his name?"

Nya flung herself at a man she could not see. "What did you do to him?!"

"Oh it was so fun to watch him turn frantic and scared," Clouse taunted. "He liked to talk big, but in the end he was just weak and vulnerable. All it took was a little water damage to shut him up good."

Nya screamed. "You MONSTER!"

"I didn't kill him, don't worry. Only a REAL monster would do something like that. Your friend is alive, albeit just barely. He's a Creature, after all, and a ghost. Unless Skylor has forgotten, we don't have very many ghosts here. It would be a real treasure to...test him out."

"You wouldn't," Skylor challenged.

"What do you want from us, Mr. Clouse?" Pixal asked to the unseen man.

"Well, I WAS going to request that Skylor tell us why the Project fails to fuse with a host body," Clouse said with a maniacal pur. "But since I heard all of your little rant earlier, I think we can skip that step."

"You want me be the host body," Skylor said.

"You're as smart as ever, Miss Chen."

"And if I fuse with the Project, it will transform me into a large and likely unstable Chimera," she continued. "And with as many as 700 essences swirling around in my body, I'd probably lose all coherent thought and mental function due to such instability."

"The better to use you for personal gain, my dear."

"And if I refuse?" She crossed her arms over her chest, and banished any inkling of the weak, whimpering girl she was just moments ago.

A snicker. "You won't."


	67. Safe and Sound: Wizard

**Sorry that update took so long. I had no time to write. Between homework and exhaustion that comes as a result of all that homework. This chapter took longer than it should have to write - three days. Usually I get it done in an hour, then I spend a half hour editing. Then I publish. But it took me the past three days to get the free time TO write. School is insane this year. But I'm actually understanding math, so that's a plus.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Drawkill Vear - Whoa there friend. We all want to strangle Clouse. You'll want to even more after this chapter. Don't worry, he'll get his due. Aw, thanks :)**

 **Ebony umbreon - Yeah, it's gonna get worse.**

 **TGnat - Well thank you :) The movie? It's pretty good. I have my criticisms, but I just have a very critical personality. Definitely worth your time, if you ever get the chance to see it.**

 **CHEESEPUFF - To explain the title of the chapter. Safe & Sound is a jab at irony, in that they are neither safe nor sound. The ending of each chapter (Tin Man, Dorothy, etc.) is in reference to the Wizard of Oz. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Morro is the Tin Man, Dorothy is Skylor, etc. Yes, I'm afraid homework did kill me. But thank you so much for checking up on me. You are indeed a very good friend. You're doing good too, right? **

**Anonymous7 - Aw, shucks :) You and your flattery! I get rambly too, you're not alone. It's nice to hear people's unfiltered thoughts, though. I think I'm fairing okay. It's nice that the load has calmed down for you, hopefully it stays that way. I don't think I've heard the guacamole one. You too!**

 **Sugar Pixal - Aww, you're too kind :) :) Wait, what?! They are? I have mixed feelings about that. Hopefully if they bring him back, they bring him back right. Hey, don't worry about it. Spoilers are how I ended up in the fandom in the first place.**

 **DISCLAIMER: This chapter has some pretty dark stuff involved. It's got a brief fight, and a lot of peril and angst. I'll put a warning to let you know when the scene begins, and I'll tell you when it's over. That's for those of you who have certain sensitivities. Not as dark as some of my other scenes, but I still want to make sure everyone can enjoy this story.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Clouse Maggs. Age 41. Male. Black hair held back in a ponytail, beady eyes with bags under them. He hadn't gotten a good night's rest in decades. Not since he...

...But now that was why he was here in this forsaken dump, now wasn't he? Skylor liked to talk like she was some abused soul, but she failed to remember that she wasn't the only one who had suffered. Anyone who was so desparate as to stoop low enough to join the Serpentines of all groups had some level of trauma or another. Clouse, villainous as he was, was no different.

He had a job to do, just like her, and when he got that job done he could finally be at peace with himself. Then he could finally have her back, after all this time.

As if she'd still love the bitter man he'd become. But it was too late to back out of this now. If it came to it, he could always try groveling at her feet for forgiveness. If Clouse was good at anything, it was being patient and sucking up to people.

"And if I refuse?" came the voice of what he knew to be the red-headed girl he had once held prisoner. Skylor Chen. It had been a while.

He gave a dark snicker. "You won't." Clouse emerged from the safety of the shadows to reveal himself, to uncover his weary eyes and time-worn face. He held up a flash drive. It was small and black, and weighed more than it should have. Though considering its 'spiritual' contents, he wasn't all surprised.

"I have him trapped him here. He COULD just stop possessing the program and then he'd be free, but that would be difficult with all the firewalls I set up to block his escape. Possessing a program is useful, but in doing so he opens himself up to the same vulnerabilities that a program has- like water damage, for instance, as well as one of my favourites: viruses. "

A chorus of horrified gasps.

You always wanted to be a hero, Miss Chen," Clouse sneered. What a pitiful ambition. "Now's your chance to be his. I'm keeping him alive, but he's hanging by a thread. Or should I say, hanging by a line of code. "

There were two other girls accompanying Skylor as she rose to her feet. One of them had black hair and a familiar face. The other one was holding her back was much more purple, and held the familiar one back as she tried to charge at him.

"What did you do to him you monster?!" the black-haired girl howled. She kicked and screamed and shot water out her hands. "Give him back! If you hurt him I swear I'll-"

"Please calm yourself, Nya," the purple one insisted.

Nya? Oh, now he remembered that name well.

"Is that Nya Smith? The Water Fairy?" Clouse inquired. Now it was time to pull out the power cards if this was going to work as planned. "Sister of Kai Smith?"

Her enraged squirming stopped.

Now wasn't this just rich. After all these years, after all that Skylor and her little lab rat endured to save this girl, here she was waltzing right back through these same doors.

Clouse walked closer, returning the flash drive to its place in his labcoat pocket. "Ah, yes. I'll never forget those eyes. It's important to remember the eyes of every one of your victims. Because they always remember you. How good of you to return - and with the very same person who used to torture your brother, no less."

Nya looked towards Skylor for an explanation. That part had been so graciously left out in all the previous iterations of Skylor's story.

"Didn't you hear?" Clouse taunted. "Oh, but that's another story for another time. We have other, more important things to take care of. Like your little friend here - Morro, yes?"

Nya was too stunned to tense up at the sound of the cop's name.

"What will you do to him if I refuse?" Skylor asked in a flat tone.

The edges of his lips twitched into something of a smile. But not pleasant like most smiles are supposed to look. Someone of Clouse's position wasn't supposed to have pleasant smiles. He was supposed to have strong, scary, intimidating smiles. After all these years, he'd more than mastered the art. "Oh, me? Nothing. But the virus ravaging through his code...that might be problematic."

Not even the purple girl could hold back the rage of the little water girl. No one stopped her as she landed a blow to Clouse's face, roaring out with an explicit battle cry as she did.

He allowed himself to slide two steps back, to show a hint of surprise and fear - but only that much. Then the morbid pleasure seeped in.

Skylor looked about ready to kill Nya, and the purple girl was just confused. "What did you just DO, Nya?!"

"What - he has MORRO, Skylor!" she shouted back, equally upset. "He deserved it!"

Skylor groaned. "That is the worst decision you've probably ever made."

The purple one interjected in her oh-so-polite voice. "If I may, why is it so bad? I side with Nya on this one - the man had it coming."

Clouse's laugh started small, but grew louder a bit in the following moments. Until, finally, it had gotten to be full-out maniacal.

"You know," he said with a devious grin. "As bothersome as she is, Skylor is almost always right. That was the worst decision you could possibly make - worse than deciding to come here in the first place."

His skin began to ripple and coil, his bones cracked, his tendons shrieked as they were ripped to shreds beneath his sandpaper skin. The colour drained from his eyes and his cheeks, an off-white lilac hue left in place of his former pink complexion. His teeth gnarled and his vocal cords deepened, a demon scratching on the insides of his throat.

"What the-"

The purple girl wasted no time questioning the transformation to respond with one of her own. A blue-ish glow graced her skin, and she immediately assumed a battle stance. She'd heard rumors about how a Serpentine scientist was capable of something like this, but he hadn't thought it possible.

"Stay back," she ordered in her omnipresent Wisp voice. Nya and Skylor obeyed.

Ah, a Wisp Switch. And a feisty one at that. This was going to be a pleasant fight.

Clouse's voice was no less sniveling, even after transforming into a beast of shadows and darkness.

"A Shadeling?" asked Nya under her breath. "Clouse is a Shadeling?"

Skylor shook her head. "He's just cursed. By my mom."

Pixal opened her mouth, and a twinkling ball of light spewed out. Clouse danced around it until it finally hit him.

When the hit landed, it just went straight through him. It tore through his shadowy body, and he continued on as if no damage was done.

"Part of my curse is that I can only attack when someone attacks me first," said Clouse as he took a swing of his own. Shadows encroached upon the Wisp's body. She dodged them with grace.

"You screwed up big time, Nya," Skylor huffed.

Nya laughed the way her brother might have in a time like this. "I dunno, I think we can take him. He doesn't look so tough."

"You're an idiot, Nya."

But before Nya could stand another moment of being lectured about her recklessness, she dove in for more.

Two blue wings sprung from her back. She got a running start before soaring high above their heads.

Nya swooped down. Splash! Powpowpow! Water bullets rained on Clouse's head.

It felt like nothing. Maybe a bit of a tingling sensation under his ribs. But it passed through his silhouette and he came closer and closer to the Wisp.

"What kind of curse IS this, Skylor?!" Nya shouted, frantic.

Skylor remained at the sidelines. Smart. It was where she belonged, without any real fighting skill. "My mom's a Witch, and he made her curse him with this ability!"

Clouse hummed with joy at the memory. It was very clever of him to tell the mother that he had her husband and daughter, and if she wanted to see them alive she would give him such a curse. And it was even more clever of him to turn around and tell the husband and daughter that he had their mother, and if they ever wanted to see her alive they would complete Project Patchwork.

He was a very clever man, and took pride in that.

Slash! Pow! Stab! Swish! Crunch! Smash!

Shadowy tendrils stretched away from his sickly skin and his darkened locks. They wrapped around the Wisp. She struggled. She shot out more Wisp blasts from her mouth. No damage. Kick. Fight. Scream. Run. Fly. Escape.

Nothing. She could do nothing.

"But - how?!" she cried between grunts. "Wisps are intangible-"

"To all but shadows and Deepstone, of course," Clouse cooed.

He reached a shadowed fist behind his back to catch a certain water pest by the neck.

She let out a few strangled noises.

Water dribbled from her lips and fingertips. Her legs squirmed. Her eyes roared.

Skylor looked on in horror from the sidelines. That was all Skylor had ever been good at - observing.

"Wise of you not to take me on," said Clouse. He only said it to egg her on. If he knew her well enough, it would work. "I have three of your friends - the Ghost, the Wisp, and the Fairy. All of them, defeated."

"Spoke too soon," Nya garbled. A swift kick into Clouse's arm. The apparition faded for a brief moment at the site of impact. It was all she needed.

"Skylor run!"

But Skylor was too afraid to move.

"What about Pixal? And Morro?" Skylor's voice was weak, looking back as Nya lifted her up into the air and out the door. The shadows were following fast - but not as fast as they consumed their Wisp friend.

Clouse allowed himself to relish in his success, but only for a moment. He still needed Skylor to fuse her body with the essence cluster. Then everything would finally be complete.

Pixal - the Wisp - moaned and struggled as he reached his shadows to wrap around her and pierce through her and suck her into a void of nothingness. She wouldn't get in his way as long as she stayed put in her shadow prison.

His laugh was just as maniacal as before. Over the years he'd found that maniacal laughter was an excellent way to assert dominance. "You think I'll just let you fly away?"

Clouse extended his arm. Tufts of darkness rose from his skin and unraveled from his fingers. They spun around. Reaching, flying, aiming, shooting, grabbing.

 **(AN: Okay, here's the moment I was talking about. Some of you may be sensitive to torture. If you were uneasy when Jay turned into a skeleton, you might want to skip this. It's not as vivid or gory, but it is kinda messed up. This scene lasts till the end of the chapter. You can go ahead and skip to the end where I explain what happened.)**

A crack. A muffled scream. Wrapped around her mouth and limbs.

Nya screamed and tried to get her back. Brushing her fingertips in a fleeting moment. Pulled into the folds of death and danger. To fight the darkness in futility. Just wasting her energy.

Clouse lifted her up and tensed up. Pull back, wind up.

Swoosh! Crash!

Sparks flew. Colours exploded. Skylor screeched.

Eyes boiling. Skin imploding. Hair crackling. Organs inverting. Bones snapping.

Clouse loved the smell of success.

He loved the sight of Nya's horror as she watched Skylor get flung into essence cluster. Watching Skylor shape and morph and wither as the essence cluster sucked itself into her and changed her.

Pixal couldn't watch. Pixal could only be smothered by the nothingness she was trapped inside.

A bubbly sensation arose in Clouse's mouth. It tasted like bile and sweat, and it dug into his tongue and emotions. It tasted like victory.

The image of HER imprinted itself into the backs of her eyes.

Silvery hair, a soft smile, bright green eyes, hand outstretched.

In the backs of her eyelids was a different image.

Spattered on the pavement. Drenching his hands. The green quivered. The silver faded into an ill pallor. The smile sunk into a dead sulk.

A scream to the skies. A vow for vengeance. A vow to bring her back, whatever the cost.

All he had to do was cooperate with that man who called himself the Overlord, all he had to do was contribute his part to the Overlord's plan, and she'd be resurrected. He promised he'd bring her back.

Now that sweet embrace of hers...it was so close he could feel it ghost his arms.

Clouse pulled the shadows back into his chest. The fight was over. He had no reason to be a monster for now.

Pixal was unconscious on the ground, but Nya was too shocked to run to her.

Clouse let the flash drive clatter to the ground. He didn't need the leverage anymore.

He just stood there, watching as Skylor transformed into a Patchwork Monster.

* * *

 **That fight scene was a little lacking, wasn't it? Don't judge. Fight scenes are the bane of my existence as a writer. I'm working on it.**

 **Okay, explanation time.**

 **So after the disclaimer, what happened was Clouse basically flung Skylor into the essence cluster. It was a horrifying sight as they all watched the hundreds of essences fuse with Skylor's body and overwhelm her. She's not dead, don't worry...yet :)**

 **Clouse also had a bit of a flashback to when the love of his life died. What's that for character motivation? But it doesn't do much to redeem him, because we all still hate his guts.**

 **Until next time!**

 **~Erio**


	68. Fly Away, My Friend

**What is up, my dudes? Coming up with another chapter. Also, thank you all for getting me to not only 68 chapters but also 415 comments! Woo-hoo!**

 **I hadn't originally planned for this chapter to happen. But I wrote it at the request of - you guessed it - LegoTerraWarrior. And if you know me, I'm a sucker for this sort of angst so how could I possibly turn it down. The following tragedy wasn't my idea, but I sure as hell ran with it. I can only hope I did justice to LTW's vision for this scene. Make sure to give them a huge thanks for all of their support and contribution to this story. They helped me a lot over the course of this journey. I couldn't have done this as well as I have without them by my side.**

 **Another thing: I reference song lyrics throughout this chapter. It comes from one of my favourite songs, called 'Little Lion Man' by Mumford & Sons. It's a pretty nice song, but the chorus does have the f-word in it. So I censored it and wrote 'screw' because I don't like cussing much in my writing. Plus, I don't know how old y'all are and gotta think of the children! **

**In any case. Comment Reviews:  
Ebony umbreon - Yeah, basically. *Cough* Probably *Cough***

 **Ninalb - Whoa is right.**

 **CHEESEPUFF - Well, happy birthday to your sister. I also have half-siblings, two half-brothers, so I can understand the trouble of not knowing much about/being involved in their lives. Ooh, that bites. Best of luck my dude. Thanks! Skylor probably did, but at this point that's kinda irrelevant. Morro will be fine, I promise. Brad does indeed have it rough. That sounds like an interesting interaction, and I'll try to put it in, but given how crazy these next few chapters will get I can't guarantee. I considered making Rufus McAllister the doctor, but I figured I'd wait and save him for a special role. I don't know, you tell me :)**

 **Anonymous7 - What you talking about, of course I don't mind. Why would I? That was a pretty special review, if you ask me. All of yours are, to be honest, and all of really anyone's. Yep, wonder what the Overlord's planning...I don't know, AM I going to end Skylor like this? Yes, you'll see him again. Although when you do you might wish you hadn't. Well wouldn't you know it I DO have a sequel planned. You should totally get an account. And when you do, let me know so I can follow you and stuff! Ahaha, that was a pretty good joke my friend :)**

 **Sugar Pixal - No don't worry, as of yet I don't plan to. Which season...that is a tough call between 3, 4, and 5. Skybound is also yet another great season. I like how it had a great balance of dark and light, and also gave some much-needed characterization to Jay. If not for the way they ended it, it might be my favourite as well. Thank you!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

Things weren't supposed to happen this fast.

 _Weep for yourself, my man_

One minute, she was on an island - safe, sound, happy. Then she was taken by the Serpentines, transformed into something not normal. Then she escaped, came back home, and met a group of individuals that would change her life forever.

 _You'll never be what is in your heart_

Now she was on unfamiliar soil, saving an unfamiliar nation. Saving humans, the people that hurt her own.

"Run, Nya!"

"I'm already FLYING!"

"Well fly faster!"

Nya tried to pick up the pace. They both knew why she couldn't: the limp girl flopped over her shoulder.

"I'll take Pixal," Sakura said. She was strong enough. She could carry the Wisp and still maintain speed. "You just look after Officer Morro."

Nya didn't argue. Sakura let Pixal slip into her arms. She carried Pixal off bridal-style. Their speed was much faster now.

 _Weep little lion man_

But it wasn't fast enough.

It was behind. Roaring. Thrashing. Screaming. The voices of millions of empty essences. Tormented, tortured, destroyed.

Tentacles snapped the trees. Claws dug into the road. Screeches pierced the rainy sky. Fangs ate through memories. Scales quivered. Shadowy hands reached out at a future they could not grab. Thorns bristled. Ice shards gauged into its candle-glow eyes. Fingertips flickered.

Smash! One of many glitching fists smashed into the ground behind them.

Pixal wasn't conscious but she still shuddered at the sound.

 _You're not as brave as you were at the start_

Sakura climbed over a fallen tree. Nya flew up ahead. The images of the incident still lingered in her sparkling irises - though they sparkled no more.

Dead. All of them. To think she killed them all. The whole compound. In one go.

 _Rate yourself and rake yourself_

No, SHE didn't kill anyone. SHE was gone. All that was left was the Patchwork Monster.

Sakura knew that Nya wanted to hold out the hope that Skylor was still in there. Sakura knew they had to be realistic. If they let that prevent them from defeating the Monster, it would destroy the country.

Melody Island was vulnerable without their leader. She should never have left. It brought a shiver to her spine to think of what would happen if the Patchwork Monster made its way across the ocean...

Running. Panting. Flying. Heaving breaths. Heavy eyes.

Dagger claws attacked the asphalt road. Cr-cr-crk-smash! Crash! Bam! Crsssh! Pieces everywhere. The reverberations knocked Sakura over. Nya helped her regain her balance and they kept running.

 _Take all the courage you have left_

"We have to fight back, Nya!" the Hydroscale roared.

"We can't! She's still in there, Sakura! Skylor is..." her voice trailed off as the agony swelled in her throat like phlegm and vomit.

"Do we have a choice?!"

Sbam! Another attack. Tentacles licking at the precipice of mortality. Forked tongue grabbing the crying air.

Bullets of water hammered into Sakura's face. The dark sky weighed down overhead and crushed her ribs.

 _And wasted on fixing all your problems_

Stomping feet. Hundreds of feet. Rolling around. Hundreds of screams. Grotesque inverted toes. Thousands of crackled bones and exploded tendons. Hanging limp at the sides. Entrails falling behind like a cape.

Colliding with the mountainside. Crashing into everything. Thrashing like it wanted to die. It probably did.

 _That you made in your own head_

Sakura kept slithering past and Nya kept running. Pixal kept sleeping. Sakura feared the Wisp was concussed, but now wasn't the time for that.

A field of destruction lay behind them. Smoldering, smoking, ripped to shreds, unable to mourn its own destruction.

But Sakura did. And the sky did. They cried mutually for the loss of what was once an upright forest.

 _Tremble for yourself, my man_

Sakura powered forward. Tired, achy muscles. Flooded with adrenaline and sweat. Keep going. Keep moving. Don't look back. Don't see what Skylor had become.

Nya Smith did everything she could not to let go of the flash drive. Look ahead. Keep flying. Ignore the exhaustion. You can keep flying forever if you have to. Get home. To Jamanakai. Survive. You've already been at this for, what, a half hour? Don't rest. Not until you see Kai. Not until you can get Morro to safety.

She failed him. That was all Nya knew. She'd failed them all.

 _You know that you have seen this all before_

Sakura knew they couldn't keep going like this. She'd been running all her life. Running towards adventure, mostly. Running away from danger.

 _Tremble little lion man_

No more.

"Nya!"

Nya stopped her flight but not long. The Monster was winding up for another swing.

"Take Pixal."

She paused. What?

"Take Pixal and take Morro," Sakura ordered. She sounded like a leader. The leader she was meant to be. The leader she would never, could never be.

 _You'll never settle any of your scores_

Sakura handed Pixal's limp form back to Nya, who struggled under the weight.

"Keep running," she said. "Don't look back. I've got one more trick up my sleeve."

She placed her hands on Nya's shoulders as the unstable Monster took the swing behind her. "Get somewhere safe. Cover your ears and Pixal's. This won't defeat the Monster, but it will buy you enough time to get out alive. You need to get Pixal and Morro to safety."

Sakura pulled them out of the way at the last second. The monstrous, scaly fist was just a few inches from their faces. Missed them by a hair.

 _Your grace is wasted in your face_

"Tell Morro and Kai," Sakura said as Nya ducked into a crowd of broken trees. "I'm sorry."

She would have liked to slap that arrogant Fire Fairy one last time. Or to discuss existentialism with Morro. Or to go to the amusement park with Lloyd or Floyd like she always wanted to. Or to meet this Jay character when he emerges from Reconstruction. Or to hear Julien's stories.

 _Your boldness stands alone among the wreck_

Closed eyes. Clenched fists. Open mouth.

Nya did as she was told. She covered her ears with her hands and covered Pixal's with her elbows. The flash drive remained firm in her fist. From behind a tree she saw Sakura standing upright and rigid. Her face was as soft as ever.

 _Now learn from your mother_

Locked and loaded. Ready to go. One last song.

 _Or else spend your days biting your own neck_

Her voice was usually heavenly. The village elders always commended her beautiful singing voice. With a voice like that she'd make a fine warrior one day. That much was true at least.

 _It was not your fault but mine_

Her voice was less like its usual chorus of angels, and more like a cacophony from the gates of hell. Screeching with a sonic wave of blood and determination. Crackling. Breaking. Shattering. Under the pressure of her destructive melody, everything fell apart.

Sakura's wails sent the Monster back a few feet. She apologized internally. To Skylor mostly, but also to Nya for making her see this.

 _And it was your heart on the line_

The Monster's already glitchy figure shuddered and shriveled. It screamed as well, but not as loudly as Sakura. Sakura drowned out every noise.

Though her ears were covered, Nya still felt blood dribble out.

The Monster collapsed, but would be back up soon. After this it would be all on Floyd, wouldn't it? That was who Julien saw in the crystal ball. Not Lloyd defeating this evil but Floyd.

 _I really screwed it up this time_

Today was not her day to save the world. Today, she was content saving just a few lives. Today, that was more than worth it.

She knew Floyd would be the hero she never could be. But hopefully, this was good enough.

The screech lifted from her throat and shook the air. The rain stopped. The world stood still. Her scales simmered.

Her body was weak. Her bones wobbled. Her life force had been compressed and pushed out with her scream. Her parting gift to people she called her friends.

Fallen over. A face full of chunky asphalt. Not the way she hoped to die.

Nya clambered over to her. Shouting her name. Holding her face as her head lolled around. As her eyes rolled back. As the world grew smaller and faded into a colourless backdrop.

"Sakura! Sakura! Sakura, stay with me!"

 _Didn't I, my dear?_

One last defeated smile. Gritting through the pain. Nya would have to fly away with Pixal soon. The Monster would get back up soon. And it would spare nothing in its path. Then Floyd would fulfill his destiny. She was satisfied knowing she'd done her part for the greater good. Maybe they'd hold parades in her honour. And they'd give her a statue and a holiday and they would bless her bloodline and herald her as a hero and a martyr.

When our time comes, will our last words be something profound or loving? Or will we simply say between laboured breaths, 'I don't want to die'? Or will we say anything at all?

 _Didn't I, my dear?_

* * *

 **Okay, so how was that? I feel like I could have done that a bit better, but it was good practice in writing fight/action scenes. I'm great at dialogue, not to brag, but everything else seems to fall flat. I also hadn't planned on writing in another character death, much less a character we saw so little of. In the sequel I intend to be less liberal with killing characters off and be more creative with my angst. Tell me in the comments what you think I did well, and what you think I could improve on in later action scenes :)**

 **Seeya around!**

 **~Erio**


	69. In Other News the World is Ending

**Is this chapter my finest work? No. No it is not. But I've had a stressful morning and I needed to unwind a bit, so I decided to turn to this to blow some steam. And honestly this story came into existence for the sake of my own enjoyment, so I'm in no mood to care if this is award-winning writing or not. This is just a chapter. Speaking of chapters, though, everyone is getting antsy about when I reintroduce Jay. If it goes according to plan, you'll get all the Jay content your heart could desire...if you enjoy watching Jay suffer :) Also on the note of chapters, we are one chapter away from 70! That's insane. And we're over 400 comments, equally insane. For those of you wondering if this story will ever end, you're in luck. I have it planned to go for another 3 or so chapters before it finally concludes, after all this time. Let's hope I make it that far, because that would make this my first COMPLETED fanfiction. Go team!**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Ebony umbreon - Yeah, kinda like Farukon. You got it! I was hoping the 'inconsistency' in description gave it that feel. Well thank you :)**

 **LegoTerraWarrior - Thank you, that means a lot. You will be missed!**

 **RandomDragon - Ain't that the truth. Don't worry, this does have a happy ending.**

 **Ninalb - Go Floyd! Aaaah, thank you so much!**

 **CHEESEPUFF - She was your favourite? Neat, but sorry about that. Sakura's the intellectual property of LegoTerraWarrior, who requested this. I'll probably do just that, and find a way to work in a visit to Doomsday Comix into the sequel. It was a sarcastic comment at all your questions, because I do in fact know the answers but I'm amused by the power it gives me to know that I'm the only one that DOES know what will happen. Oh my, I'm so sorry. I give you my deepest condolences about your sister. I can imagine that must be rough for you to deal with, and I deeply apologize for my insensitivity.**

 **Sugar Pixal - You cried? That's both great and terrible! Thank you so much :)**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

"Excuse me," said Cyrus Borg. "Have either of you seen Pixal? I haven't seen her since yesterday, and I'm concerned."

Garmadon, who was reading, turned to Julien. The frazzle-haired inventor had spent all morning mulling over some blueprints (he'd been going through some old blueprints he found boxed up in the closet) while prepping some coffee.

Julien shook his head, and Garmadon returned his attention to Borg. "I'm afraid we haven't, sorry."

"Would you like some coffee, while you're here?" Julien offered. "Or I could make you some tea. That always soothes the nerves."

"No, my brother just used the last tea bag. He devours the stuff, I tell you." Garmadon lifted up the #1 Dad mug in his hand. "Please, try some of this coffee. I'm quickly discovering just how amazing Julien's coffee is."

Borg took the grey-haired man on his offer and wheeled himself up to the table. Julien got out another mug. "How do you take it, Mr. Borg?"

"Black, please," Cyrus replied, almost ashamed of himself.

Julien chuckled. "I never pegged you as the type."

The old inventor - the oldest of the three - set down his blueprints to get the poor man some coffee.

He handed the mug - the one he and Zane painted together on Christmas, back before Zane fell ill - to Mr. Borg. Cyrus uttered a quiet thank-you before taking a sip. It certainly was the best coffee HE'D ever tasted.

"You'll have to tell me your secret," Cyrus said, trying to keep his mind off his woes. "This'll work wonders on all my late nights."

Julien said nothing to that, just sat down and continued to leaf through blueprint after blueprint.

Garmadon shifted his weight and said, "So tell me again what's bothering you."

Cyrus's lips pulled taut. "I can't seem to find my daughter, Pixal. Not since yesterday, since before Lloyd - "

"Floyd," Garmadon corrected.

"Y-yes, my mistake. Since Floyd flurried in with the news of Morro and Skylor's departure. I fear the worst, Mr. Garmadon."

"Please," Garmadon said. "Just Garmadon is fine."

"Well then you can call me Cyrus." A pause, before the conversation refocused. "But I'm worried Pixal may have gone with them. It's not out of character for her to run off like this. And I...I don't doubt that she's in good hands, I trust Officer Kaze with my life, but I simply fear she may not come BACK."

He paused to sip his coffee again. Poignant, but not bitter. Stiff, but not starchy. The way he liked it. "She's always been a rather flighty individual. I have only myself to blame for that. I never should have hid her true nature from her like that."

Garmadon didn't want to intrude on details, so he didn't ask. He just folded his book over his arm and leaned in to hear better. He may have been young but his body wasn't, and his hearing was starting to fizzle out.

"A-although I won't bother you with that sob story," Cyrus later said once after a long gulp. "I think I'll just finish off this coffee and keep asking around. Maybe she's with Zane."

Julien shook his head and looked up. "No, I'm afraid she isn't. I just saw my son this morning. He was telling me HE hadn't seen her either, not since yesterday like you said. But I'm sure she's fine. Kids are like that, you know. I remember when MY boy fled the coop - not of his own regard, but still."

Garmadon gave a sad, affirmative chuckle. "Lloyd was the same way, but much younger. You both know the story."

Cyrus gave a sharp nod. "So my daughter is only one whose running away was out of her own volition."

Garmadon and Julien exchanged glances. They just made things worse, didn't they?

Julien wanted to say it wasn't his fault, but he knew full well that it was. He'd heard about Pixal's testy relationship with her old man. He'd heard about what secrets Cyrus kept from her.

Cyrus finished the last of his coffee and wheeled out to put it in the sink. Julien thanked him kindly, and flipped to another blueprint as Cyrus left the kitchen.

Floyd sat on the couch, watching TV with Zane and Kai. Cole was there too, but since he took up too much space he sat on the floor. "Have any of you seen my daughter Pixal?"

Looking at one another, shaking their heads, shrugging.

"I haven't seen Nya either," Kai said. "Not since yesterday."

"And Sakura and I were going to go to the park today, but she's not around," said Floyd. Sakura had made that plan with him so that he could take his mind off all this Floyd/Lloyd business and relax for once.

"Have you spoken to my father?" Zane asked.

"I just did, Zane," said Cyrus.

"They probably all went with Morro and his crew," Cole suggested. "Sakura's a pretty adventurous girl, and given Nya's personality she probably came with. Pixal might have tagged along, though I can't see why - she's too level-headed for that sort of thing."

Cyrus clasped his head. "I just don't know what to do with that girl anymore."

"I know this will not serve your anxiety well Mr. Borg," said Zane. "But I tried calling her last night. She did not answer. In fact, I believe she LEFT her phone behind. I'm rather concerned, but am hoping she returns safely."

Another layer to this opened itself up to Cyrus in that instant. If Pixal didn't return soon, she wouldn't be there to give Zane his injection. And without his injection, he'd fall into a blubbering, rambling mess (it pained him to realize that that was his fault as well). Pixal was the one who gave him his injections. Julien wanted to take on the responsibility as the father, but Pixal insisted she could.

Then again, Zane didn't quite need his injections all that regularly anyways. Just when he started to regress was when they had to pump him up with that drug Ronin gave them.

Before Kai could mention that perhaps he ought to call his sister, perhaps she would know, there was a violent knock on the door.

Pounding fists. Heavy breathing. Whimpering.

The defeated cries of some wounded person on the other side set everyone on edge. Julien and Garmadon heard it, and Wu heard it, and it pulled the three of them out into the main room.

Cole silently delegated the task of confronting the door to himself. He was the strongest, after all, and whatever threat was on the other side could do him no harm since he was already dead and made of rocks.

The Golem fisted the doorknob and let a moment pass, before ending the anticipation.

A flash drive was clasped in one hand, and she dragged a near-lifeless body behind her with the other. The girl's knees wobbled, her wings were scraped up, and her eyes were filled with death. So much death.

"Nya!" they all exclaimed.

Kai tried to make his way to her, but he still hadn't recovered from the injuries sustained in the Melody Island incident. He shouldn't have gotten up, but broken bones be darned if he wasn't going to see his little sis.

With a weak arm, she held up the body. It was in even worse condition, with green eyes flitting about and blood matted in its silvery hair and its fair complexion dug into with deep gashes and ominous tattoos.

"Pixal!" Cyrus shouted.

Cole pulled the unconscious girl into his arms and brought her down to her father. Zane moved out of the way so Cole could place her on the couch.

Zane got on his knees and grabbed her hand. Cyrus wished he could have done the same, but he knew Pixal wouldn't want that. So he kept his distance for her sake.

"What happened?" Garmadon asked.

Cole was helping Nya get down the stairs. "It all...we failed. W-we...turn on...monster...it...shadow curse...broken...death...she's dead."

"Dead?!"

Zane felt Pixal's wrist. "No, I still have a pulse."

"Then who, who's dead Nya?!" Kai might have rattled her brain out if he shook her any more violently.

Her voice was laced with remorse as she mumbled between heaves, "Sakura."

A moment of silence at the news that would never fully sink in.

"It's coming..."Nya continued. "Coming...soon...the monster...she's in there...she has to be...so many essences..."

Then she collapsed in her brother's arms.

Julien knew that look in his son's eyes. That calculating look, where the entirety of the universe haunts his periphery and it's all he can think about.

Something just happened to sling-shot Zane's mind back over the edge. Something to remind him of what he'd seen before.

Pixal's limp hand slipped from his fingertips, and he clutched his head in agony. Coursing, pulsing, twisting, churning. The mysteries of life, of death, of time itself winding up into his skull and then unraveling in his chest.

The limp hand, the way she lingered on the precipice - it brought back flashes of what time looked like. Flashes turned to memories, memories turned to curses, and those curses squeezed on his brain and refused to break their hold.

Cole was helping Kai set his sister down when Zane made his outburst.

"The end!" he screamed. "It's here it's here it's here it's-"

Julien placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "What's here?"

He shuddered and flung his father's hand away to rock and mutter and let his mind explode. "It's an abomination it's an abomination it's an abomination it's an abomination - "

Everyone turned their attention to the ex-Visionayr with the mechanical implants that cowered before them. Garmadon and Wu rushed to try and find where Pixal kept the injections while Julien tried in futility to comfort his boy.

Cyrus's child problems were bad, but not quite like this. He could at least take solace in that.

"Everything is gone everything is dead it's dead she's dead Skylor's gone -"

Kai used his good arm to pick up Zane by the collar. "What about Skylor?!"

Zane's human eye widened at the sight of Kai, as if he'd seen a ghost. "How are you still alive? Y-you died, I watched you die, you're dead, you're all dead, I'M dead, so much death -"

At Floyd's unspoken request, Kai released Zane from his chokehold.

Floyd pulled himself up to Zane and asked, "What do you see?" They'd all hate him for asking that, but this was an opportunity to know what the future held. No one could deny they weren't the slightest bit curious.

"Pain and death and destruction and glass, so much glass, it's everywhere, your face is broken, you're gone but you're not and - oh no! Not the hospital!" He pulled on his hair and shook his head. "No no no no no no no no no!"

His limbs began to flail and his screams grew louder, and it took every bit of guts they could muster to hold him down.

Wu came back with a needle in hand, which was given to Julien. Cole and Floyd held out Zane's writhing and wriggling arm while Julien prepped the needle.

Into the skin it plunged. Zane's struggling slowed to a stop, until he was just as limp as his lover.

"He mentioned the hospital," Cole dared to say. "Do you think - "

"Turn the channel to the news," Wu ordered. "Let us see if it can provide some answers."

Floyd did as the old man ordered.

It happened to be Gayle on the screen, which made things a bit cheerier - though she didn't seem so cheery herself. The backdrop was of a destroyed city-scape, smoldering piles of debris at either side and people running around her. A monster of indiscernible, indescribable detail was off in the distance. "The monster has no direct objective or motive, just mindlessly destroying anything in its path. Evacuate as far as you can, as quickly as you can, and whatever you do do NOT go near it. It apparently absorbs the essence of anything that gets too close to it. This is Gayle Gossip, reporting to you live from Ignacia. Let's get the hell out of here, Dareth." That last line seemed directed at the cameraman. The news feed turned fuzzy.


	70. These Puns Are Quite Humerus

**This chapter was going to be a lot shorter, and you were also going to see how Jay's been doing. But this chapter wound up longer than it should have been, so you'll have to wait until next time to reunite with our beloved skele-boy.**

 **Comment Reviews:**

 **Supercatural Ninja - I know right?!**

 **Shadart-Stories - Aw, thanks! Nya was too young to remember, so she doesn't know. Oh my God you're being too kind :)**

 **Ebony umbreon - It certainly is haha. Yeah, that was my original plan. The original title for this was "Morituri Nolumus Mori" which translate to, "We who are about to die but don't want to". I'm trying to lay off on the death, but no promises. You're catching on, dangit!**

 **Ninalb - The far, FAR future. Thanks, and here it is!**

 **RandomDragon - Haha, I was reading that in the kind of narrator voice you hear at the end of cartoons :)**

 **CHEESEPUFF - I truly am enjoying this, yes. Yeah, that 'adult' scene was also really fun to write. Jay is left in the dark so, so much. Yes, same hospital. Writer's block this time. I've managed to cut down my homework from 20+ assignments to only 4, which was awesome.**

 **Sugar Pixal - OKAY WOW SO ARE YOU :) That was why I put them together in the first place, finally someone who gets it!**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

A skeleton appeared on the screen, in a pre-recorded video. Its two empty eye sockets were filled with more life than her own.

The skeleton smiled and said, "Hi guys! I'll give you three guesses to figure out who I am. B-but since this is a pre-recorded message, how about I just tell you: Jay! Yep, it's me, Jay Walker, in the flesh. But not really. So in the bones? Don't roll your eyes at me, Cole, I know you are!"

Nya bit her lip and strained her eyes to hold back the tears. She sat on the ground, just outside the Chamber, with Pixal's phone in her hands and the video blaring on its screen, while everyone else stayed in the hospital room.

When they arrived at the Ninjago City Hospital, the troop was surprised to see that no evacuation efforts had been made. Dr. Wyplash explained that all his pleas for evacuation have gone unnoticed by the upper links in the beaurocratic hospital chain. He told them that it was beyond his contract with the hospital to tell them why, but he could at least get them a room. They'd be safe in the hospital.

Pixal was still recovering, Kai got his Melody Island injuries formally dressed by a real doctor, and everyone else got a place to sleep.

"But yeah," the skeleton said with a whistle. "So apparently Pixal - the silver-haired girl - and I have a bit of history, in that my 'parents' her knew each other and were friends. I think I vaguely remember us having play-dates when we were little, but to the best of my memory those never ended well."

Nya smiled with longing. She'd never asked what Jay meant by that. Perhaps she'd ask when this was all over.

"She also took care of Zane while we were out. So I've tasked her with the job of recording this video and sharing it with you all when you come home. IF you come home. I'm starting to worry about you guys, y'know."

"Oh, Jay," Nya said, on the verge of tears. But she had to stay strong, she couldn't let herself slip into emotional weakness at a time like this.

"Hope you're not having too much fun without me. B-but anyways. So long story short, some bad stuff happened and I went from being a Lightning Fairy to a Bone Fairy. I'm a skeleton. Cole and Kai I swear if either of you make a single bone joke in my absence I will crawl out of my seven-month medically induced coma and scold you both. Jokes are MY job!"

Nya brushed some hair out of her face and whispered to the sterile air, "Guess you've got a bone to pick with them."

She would have laughed if it was funny. She stared at the door to the Chamber, waiting for Jay to do as he promised. Waiting for him to crawl out of his coma and scold her for making a joke in his absence.

When moments passed without a sign of life from Jay, she gave up.

"...That aside. Just know that despite the consequences, no matter what impact it'll have on my psyche, no matter how broken this leaves me...I know you'll all be waiting and ready to put me back together again. Right?"

His smile was fake and forced, just like her own. She had to be brave and strong and everything he'd want from her. She closed her eyes, unable to look at him.

"I'm doing this for you," he said. "All of you. You don't deserve someone who can't protect you and be by you. You don't deserve someone as FRAGILE as me."

Nya covered her mouth and wanted to refute his claims, but it was just a video and she was all alone.

"You deserve the best. All of you. I wish I could give you perfection, which is what you need from me and what you no doubt want from me, and this is the best I can do. I-I'm too weak like this, to defend anyone or save anyone. And..."

Nya knew what was coming. She clamped her eyes shut to hold back the inevitable, even if her efforts were futile.

"To tell you the truth, it's because of you the most Nya. I want to be your shoulder to lean on, but I don't think my shoulder will be that comfy if it's nothing but bone. I want to be your shield, but how can I do that when I can so easily fall apart? And most of all I want to...to..."

Nya opened her eyes for just a moment. That was all she would allow herself. Her breath hitched as if she didn't already know what he was going to say. As if she hadn't already seen this video fifty times over, and memorized every pause and every word and every emotion. As if she hadn't turned his speech into her teary-eyed lullaby.

"I WANT TO START A FAMILY WITH YOU NYA!" he blurted, visibly flustered and ashamed and in love.

She closed her eyes tight, tighter than she thought possible.

"I can't do that without a body," he said after clearing his throat. "Skulkins can't have kids. They only exist from the remains of the dead and cursed. Or Hybridization in my case. But having kids? Physically and biologically impossible."

She nodded at his logic but said and thought nothing.

"You know," Jay continued. His tone was sweet and reminiscent of a time yet to pass. "I was thinking three. Three kids. Two girls and a boy. We'd all live in a house by the water's edge, and we could tinker for hours. They wouldn't have to be inventors like us. One could do ballet, one could be into violin, and the third could be still trying to figure out who they are."

Imprinted on the back of her eyelids, she could see it. The crisp blue air, the chorus of cheers as they all chased each other in the backyard. They'd bake apple pies on Sundays and read together in the big bay window. She'd tinker in the garage and he'd tinker in the shed. They'd paint it aquamarine, and it would have a big wrap-around porch. There'd be a tire swing and a treehouse and a game room in the attic. They'd grow old in that lovely house, with their lovely children.

"I've dreamed of that very thing for years," Jay said, only now Nya was joining in. She spoke his words from the heart, because if she focused on saying the words maybe she wouldn't cry over them. "To have a family with you. And I can't do this - be a father, let alone a good one - in this body. That is, if you even say yes of course. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't."

She wanted to hold him close and say "Yes, of course, I'd follow you into hell if I could" but there was no one to say it to.

No one but the shadow in the corner.

"What are you watching?" asked the shadow.

She jolted with a start, and turned off the video before it was over. "Oh! It's - it's just you, Cole."

Emerging from the shadows was a Golem. He sat himself beside her and said, "How're you holding up, Nya?"

"Okay."

"That's better than bad, I suppose..." His voice trailed off.

A moment of silence, but it was short-lived. Good thing too. Any longer and thoughts of Jay would start creeping into their minds.

"So Julien and Borg think they have a way to fix Morro." Cole crossed his arms and legs over themselves. "They've destroyed the virus, but are still working on the firewalls. And the damage done to his ghostly code was irreparable. They're not sure if he'll be able to safely leave the flash drive without posing a serious risk to his well being."

She gave a slow nod. "That's good. And how are the others?"

"Floyd is jostled up," Cole replied. "And I think Kai cried a bit, but he wouldn't show it."

"That's Kai for you," Nya near-whispered.

"Yeah. But you do the same thing."

"I do not!"

"You're doing it right now!"

"Liar."

"You're one to talk."

Nya huffed. "I just don't want to think about it. Okay?"

A small chuckle from the rock Creature. "Heh. The feeling's mutual." A stray glance caught onto the Chamber. "Jay just HAD to pick the worst time to do this, didn't he?"

She nodded. "He should have consulted with us."

Cole shook his head. "I mean there's that too, but that's not what I meant."

The Water Fairy leaned in, and he understood what she was nonverbally asking. "It's just that he knows how to put an end to all this. From what I understand, Jay was there when Skylor killed Farukon. Skylor said she recited some kind of spell - a spell that, having been there, Jay would know."

"I don't follow."

Cole turned himself around so he was fully facing Nya. He said, "According to Skylor, Farukon got too many essences pushed into her, and Skylor had to use that spell to put her out of her misery. So..."

Nya gasped, the epiphany having hit her.

"But like I said. Inconvenient, since he's in there and we're out here. And he won't be out here for another...six? Six months. But I'm sure Jay's going _tibia_ okay."

They both spent a minute eyeing to door to see if Jay would walk out and smash Cole's face in and scream, "Jokes are MY thing! Don't steal my thing!"

That never happened. Only silence consumed the room and their hearts.

"I wish we could speak with him," said Nya, voice wet and wavering.

"Me too."

"That may not be too impossible," came a sudden third voice. It belonged to Dr. Wyplash. "If you want, I can help you speak to your friend again. But you have to promise to tell NO ONE of this."

Startled, Nya and Cole exchanged glances. They nodded in unison.

A heavy breath from the doctor, before he walked over to the duo. "I am only doing this because it sounds like Jay possesses some invaluable information, information that may save the world. Speak of this to no one, especially not my superiors."

Nya rose to her feet. "You're going to pull Jay out?!"

Wyplash shook his head, and the two Creatures were disappointed. "I'm going to pull YOU in."


	71. Y'all Need to Lighten Up

**I am fully aware of how irregular my update schedule is, I don't need you to scold me like this. Still, I have no regrets. Today my excuse is being busy planning for NaNoWriMo for you chosen few who apparently live under a rock, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. This'll be my second year participating. It takes place for the duration of November, and you have all of that month to write like 50,000 words. which means I've got like five-ish days to plan out the ins and outs of a murder mystery before November hits. I've got my sleuth's name figured out, but that's basically it. Wish me luck. Is anyone else doing NaNo this year? Let me know if you are, and what you'll be writing, in the comments :)**

 **Comment Reviews:  
Ebony umbreon - Absolutely NOTHING could POSSIBLY go wrong ever. **

**CHEESEPUFF - Well thank you :) Haha, duly warned. Garmy could probably run into Brad. I'll try and see if I can fit it into the rest of the story.**

 **Ninalb - You might wish you'd never asked. Yeah, he's in MY STORY. No one catches a break.**

 **Drawkill Vear - Good to hear. And yes, Jay comes back this chapter.**

 **Sugar Pixal - I'd be nervous for Jay too. AW THANKS :) No promises with Morro. YEAH I LOVE CAPS LOCK TOO**

 **Now for the long-awaited return of Jay, even if it's brief. Warning, though. The descriptions in this chapter are a bit...visceral. So be warned. Nothing gruesome but I may just have a high gore tolerance. No blood. Just muscles and screaming. So basically your normal Veni Vidi Vici chapter. I'll put in an author's not at the end if that ain't your cup of tea, so skip on ahead to that if you'd like.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

 _Can she hear us, doc?_

 _Doubtful._

Where was she? The last thing she remembered was talking to Dr. Wyplash about...

Ooooh. So that was where she was. As Dr. Wyplash described it, the place she was going was 'young Jay's mind palace merged in with...other things I cannot disclose'. She was going to safely avoid the 'other things' so she wouldn't worry.

She didn't know what she was expecting, having never entered a mind palace - much less Jay's - but it definitely wasn't this.

Ink oozed down fleshy, muscly, visceral walls where the veins pulsed and the lob-lob of a heartbeat reverberated through the very core of her being. The heartbeat itself was erratic and uncontrollable. It felt like screams, sounded like agony.

It was a poignant but dull sense that stabbed her tongue and poisoned her saliva. It had the strong taste of a cancerous tumor having metastasized into its own sentient life-form. A lumpy, mind palace-sized life-form. The absolute worst kind of life-form aside from that Clouse guy, but she'd lay her grudge to rest for now.

Her mission was to find Jay, and nothing would get in the way of that. As much as she wished she could stay for more personal reasons, to talk to him and be with him for the first time in months, the only reason Wyplash agreed to this was because Jay had some vital information about how to deal with Hybrids/Chimeras.

Nya promised to herself that she'd slip in a quick 'I love you' before leaving. If she could actually find him to begin with.

A low moan of disembodied pain filled the air with a stench of sun-heated roadkill. She buried her nose into her sleeve, leaving only her eyes exposed to the sting of rotting skin.

"What the hell IS this place?" Nya asked through her shirt, applauding her own clever pun - supposing that this place was indeed hell. It certainly looked the part.

There was a door at the end of the narrow, pulsating hallway. It was difficult to look at.

If not for the doorknob made of dried ink, she wouldn't have known it was a doorway at all. Hundreds of half-melted knives gouged out its perfectly wooden frame, leaving a wispy blackness to seep from the cracks in the form of child-like hands of smoke.

The smoke reminded her too much of Clouse, and for that she hated it.

"God, Jay," Nya grumbled. "I know you're a bit traumatized and all, but this is a bit much."

She didn't find her own joke funny. It just held at bay the reality of the situation, and the memories.

Back on that ship, back before Melody Island. Back when the team was first split. Back when she listened in on everyone's progress thanks to spyware. Back when she had to hear Jay's screams as he was tortured, as his wings were torn out.

She closed her eyes, unsure of whether the memories or the stench or the sight was what caused them to water.

The smoke-hands reached out at her, pleading with her to set them free. They dissolved and evaporated the moment they touched her though, leaving dozens of ashen ghost splatters all over her clothes. Good thing she was only here in spirit, not tangibly, or that would be hard to wash out.

As much as she loathed the idea, she knew she had to open the door. Jay might have been on the other side. She had to take that chance.

The knives clattered in protest the closer her fingers inched. They loosened from their places in the door, threatening to stab her if she came any closer.

She came closer. They held back.

And closer.

Hand on the doorknob.

Hand gripping the doorknob.

Twist. Hold. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Just a door.

Are you sure you want to do this?

In. Out. In. Out.

Definitely.

Open.

A rancid flavour wrapped around her teeth and gave them that fuzzy texture you get when you forget to brush. It was similar to the rotting-flesh smell of the hall, but this one was sharper and more abysmal.

Probably because it sourced from the dark, ominous pit beyond the door. So much for trying to open the door.

But since this was some kind of dreamscape, Nya knew it was in everyone's best interest if she put aside her own fears and just jump. It wasn't like she was in real danger.

Don't think about it. Just jump.

Onetwothree-

Plummeting. Fast. Faster.

Oof. That hurt.

Despite this being a dreamscape, she could in fact feel pain. Good to know. She got up, dusted herself off, rolled her neck around, regained her composure - the sorts of things one does after reaching the bottom of a shadowy chasm of doom.

The ground was made of quilts, each square a different colour and with a different screaming face. A cacophony of cries and pleas for help. Begging her to end their miserable existence.

Did any of this have anything to do with the 'other things' Wyplash had mentioned? Because if not Jay was in need of some serious therapy.

She made sure to apologize to every quilt-face she stepped on, making sure to walk along the stitch-seams to do as little harm as possible. She covered her ears, but left her nose vulnerable.

The walls were made of stars and slowly blinking eyes. Steampunk-style speakers hung from the ever-shifting gear ceiling, reciting a peculiar incantation of - "you're worthless" "I hate you" "let me be in charge for once" "you got the chair last time" "we have a visitor"

When that last part of the incantation, the one about the visitor, was chanted, everything stood still. Even the smell grew stale and stiff. It felt wrong to move with all the eyes watching, all the quilt-faces staring, the air itself judging her.

She moved past the unseeable emotional muck, trudging through whispers of suspicion and cynical glares, right up to the structure in the center of the room.

It was a gazebo made of glass, yet despite that she couldn't see through it. It looked more to be made of diamonds than anything, but the eerie growl in her chest insisted it was glass.

...

Since when did she have an eerie growl in her chest? She didn't remember it being there before, but all the same it felt natural. It felt like family.

She came up to the gazebo, and pulled down the blue tarp covering the doorway.

It was a small enclosed circle-shaped room, with walls boarded up and muddy footprints staining the floor. They led up the walls and ceiling, where a small purple light hung.

In the center of it all was a table made of stone, coffin-like in structure but she preferred not to think of it like that. A matted blanket of wilted vines clung to the table's skin, and on top of this blanket was a boy. A boy with a viscid black ooze dripping from his mouth, and skin translucent enough to see through to bones and veins, and a dark hole gaping in his stomach. The vines licked at the corners of his silhouette, eating away at his flesh and regurgitating it onto the gazebo floor. Thorns had been dug into the soles of his feet, and his fingers were shredded up by gnarled hangnails.

"Jay!"

She shook him violently, hoping to rattle his eyes open. The vines hissed, but retracted, at her presence.

"Jay! Jay listen to me! Wake up!"

A moment passed before his eyes flung open. They were white and empty and bore into her soul.

He clutched his head, his head of tufty ginger hair. "N-Nya?"

"Jay! You're alright!" She tugged him close into a hug.

It took a moment for it to register in Jay's groggy mind. When it did, he hugged her back. Tremoring and touch-starved he buried his face into her shoulder, and nothing but fate could pry them apart.

"Are you here to take me home?" He sounded hopeful. She couldn't look at him knowing what she'd have to say.

Her silence said it all.

"I see. B-but you're here, at least," Jay said. "And that's what matters. Oh, Nya, it's been so long!"

A pause. Now was her chance.

"Jay I...Jay I love you." It was a whisper, but she was too weak to say it much louder.

He didn't respond, but he didn't need to. His silence said it all.

Another pause.

He pushed her away as he realized the reality. Still shaking. Still weak. Why did she have to see him like this? "You shouldn't be here."

"I get that but-"

"You need to leave."

"Jay I-"

"I'm sorry. But if you spend too long here you'll join the collective."

"The collective?"

Jay's soulless eyes looked away. "I love you too much to let the collective take you. You're too precious, too lovely, too -"

She gripped his shoulders. "Jay. What is the collective?"

A dead, mechanical sigh. "This. That. All of it. It's all the collective. The screams, the voices, the souls. It's the collective."

She didn't want to, yet still she dared ask. "Are...are YOU part of the collective?"

"I AM the collective, Nya."

She didn't want to know any more than that. "Why can't I be a part of the collective?"

"Because I'll LOSE you! Because YOU'LL lose you! I'm barely hanging by a thread, I can't-I can't...too many voices, too many thoughts, all those hearts...all those...voices...crammed into my soul and forced to fuse into one. I never should have entered the Chamber." His tears froze to his cheeks.

The smoke hands. The quilt-faces. The screams. All of those...were those actual people?

"What's going on here?"

"I just wanted to have skin," Jay moped. "I just wanted to be someone you deserve. I never wanted any of this. I just...I entered the Chamber and all those hearts were smashed into mine. At first we were all conscious and sentient, but slowly the weaker hearts dissolved. I'm just barely holding onto my own. I can't lose you, Nya."

She understood. She didn't want her heart to 'dissolve' or whatever that meant either. So she needed to keep this brief, as much as it pained her.

She sat by him on the table. She held his hand to remind him he wasn't alone as she said, "Jay. I need to ask you something."

He nodded.

"When Skylor killed Farukon," she said slowly and gently. "What was that spell that she cast?"

Jay thought on it a moment. He didn't like to think of when Farukon died, and while he understood the motive, he didn't know if he'd forgive Skylor for it. Jay had no idea what Nya was going to do with this spell, but he gave it to her any way. It was a pleasant distraction from the suffering.

"It went something like..." He cleared his throat. "Exra ikono livusni prarepta...uh, mek I think... kumya, shekareva, iboso then niboki."

Hopefully she'd remember all this. If only she had something to write this down on, and take back with her to the real world.

"...And then she shouted something along the lines of 'kaheta!'...a-and then Farukon died."

Nya regretted making Jay remember. She gave him a kiss, even if it wasn't real. "Thank you so much, babe."

Jay blushed a bit at that. "Now you need to go. Quickly. Or else the collective will take you."

She nodded and got up. She kissed him again, and he kissed her back.

"I love you." No one knew who said it, but they both felt it.

"Stay safe," Jay warned as Nya grew farther away.

"I'll come back for you." They both knew she couldn't.

He leaned back into the table and closed his eyes, crossed his hands over his chest like all good corpses do. Before plunging back into the battle for control of his own heart he murmured, "I'm sorry, Nya. You deserve so much more than this."

The easy part was getting Nya out of the Chamber, out of Jay's nightmare. Wyplash and the others could hear everything she could hear, so when they knew it was time to pull her out she was pulled out as so.

The red fizzled out from her eyes and was replaced with the sleek pallor of hospital walls. The nightmare was over but its taste still lingered in the back of her throat like an old bee sting.

Her head had been scooped into a sticky headset with sensors strapped to her temples and her wrists chained to the gurney.

The softness of Kai's bruised but bold face shined through the mental static. He held out a hand and sported a worried face. "Sis..."

She took his hand for a moment, before yanking him into a messy, sobbing embrace.

* * *

 **So Nya went down the rabbit hole (read as: hell-hole) and into the strange mind palace nightmare-world that Jay has been suffering in for the past month or so - has it been a month? The concept of time eludes me. But anyways. It's really gross and scary and everyone is screaming and she finds Jay and he warns her not to join the collective. Spooky...(I mean Halloween is coming up, what did you expect?)**

 **So she gets what she came for, which was the spell that Skylor used to kill Farukon all the way back in chapter 35 - feel free to go back and read it if you need a refresher - so that they can take down the Monster. Then she left the nightmare world after getting mildly smoochy-smoochy with her lightning hubby. And yeah. That's what you missed.**

 **Anyways, seeya around!**


	72. We're All Broken Here

**Name one person with an irregular update schedule (hint-it's me). Name a person whose only excuse for not updating in the past eternity was because she's found this really good anime and could do literally NOTHING with her life until she finished it (hint-also me). But I'm here now and we have like two chapters left until it's adios to Veni Vidi Vici. What a wild ride, guys. I love all of you.**

 **Comment Reviews:  
CHEESEPUFF - That's okay, I didn't know about it until like two years ago. That would totally be a great feel-good chapter, but unfortunately I have a schedule to keep and we don't have any feel-good scheduled just yet. I'll probably put it into the sequel. Thanks for worrying about me, bro. I have no excuse this time. I'm all caught up on my homework for once. The only reason I didn't update is because there's this REALLY good show and I've spent the last week binge-watching it (terrible excuse, I know). But I'm back now. **

**Drawkill Vear - I don't know, why DO you expect happy things from me? Haha :)**

 **RandomDragon - Yeah, I want to give everyone a hug too. Yeah, I actually touch on that subject of who suffered most a lot in this chapter.**

 **Sugar Pixal - Oh no! How I come up with 'good stuff'? Well, that's just because when I was little we were too poor to afford anything nice so all I had were a few toys and no friends. I didn't even have a babysitter. And my sister was always at school, and my mom was a single mom struggling to raise two kids, and my grandparents were on a mission in Africa. I had to find some way to entertain myself. So I had to get creative with what toys I did have. All that time by myself taught me how to come up with big, complex plots and characters to stay entertained. And now that I write, I'm able to do something with those plots (sorry, that was a long explanation you probably didn't want!) Aww, it's your favourite?! :)**

 **Ninalb - Right, but he doesn't know that. I mean, it probably WILL leave him like that. Ain't that the truth.**

 **And...enjoy!**

* * *

"So we just have to get within earshot of the Monster," Kai clarified. "And recite this spell to..." He bit back the word 'Skylor', or any reference to who the Monster used to be. "...to the Monster."

"No," Floyd corrected. " _I_ have to get within earshot of the Monster."

Kai's body racked with chills at the sound of Floyd's tone, at the look in Floyd's eyes. The lightless way he held them reminded them too much of his own. Kai was the only one who shouldn't have had that light. He was soulless, after all, not Floyd.

"W-what are you saying? You ca-" Pixal stammered, which sent her into a coughing fit. Zane put a caring hand on her shoulders to ease her stress. He instructed her to breathe, and helped her work past the coughs.

Pixal eased back onto her hospital pillow and closed her eyes. That fight had taken too much out of her. Recovery was taking far too long. She wanted to jump onto her feet and take that Monster head-on again, to protect Zane and everyone she loved, to show that idiot father of hers that she wasn't weak. She wand Nya were similar in this aspect, this hatred for being weak. But unlike Nya, Pixal was able to tolerate it. She knew where her limits were, and that was what kept her from jumping out of bed that moment. That, and the fact that she couldn't bear the thought of Zane crying over her should she die. She had to live for him. But she didn't love him or anything, totally.

"What I think Pixal is trying to say," Zane said, pulling a lock of hair behind her ear. "Is that she's confused as to why you feel you need to do this, Floyd."

"You're broken and fragile as is," Cole added. "Someone who isn't...you know...should do it."

"What? Made of glass? WEAK?"

Seems Nya and Pixal weren't the only ones sensitive to weakness. But Floyd actually had justification for his feelings.

"Well when you put it like that," Cole grumbled.

Kai folded his arms over his chest, and rang out with a resolute, "No."

"No?"

"You heard me, glass boy," Kai said. He used his one good hand to point an accusing finger at Floyd's chest, pounding into him. "You ARE weak. I'M weak. And you know why we're both weak?"

"Kai, I-"

"Because I gave my SOUL to a bunch of shady guys in exchange for your entire existence!" His voice cracked, his words wavered, and he choked on a lump of guilt swaddled in his throat. He took a moment to let himself calm down, to let his volume unwind. "And if you..." His whispers were almost scarier than his screams. "And if you think I'll let that sacrifice go to waste, if you think I'll let YOU go to waste, you've got another thing coming. You got that?"

Just because Kai was quiet, didn't mean the untame anger in Floyd's chest would let him be quiet too. "No, I don't think I do. I don't believe I ASKED to be made, I never gave my CONSENT for you trade your soul for my existence! And quite frankly, sometimes I WISH YOU NEVER HAD!"

The room went silent. Even the white noise fizzled away. Everyone stopped breathing, even Pixal. The computer on the table stopped whirring, and the three men tampering with it stopped their typing.

Kai's fists clenched. His crutches clattered. His bruises darkened their colour. His complexion faded to a grey pallor. Then, it all stopped.

He made his way to the door of the hospital room, everyone unsure of whether to look at Floyd or Kai or both. "Is that how you feel?"

Floyd said nothing. Just stood there with his arms firm at his sides, looking down at his feet. Yes. That was how he felt. And there was nothing wrong with that. He was entitled to those feelings. It was Kai's own fault he felt them in the first place. Everything was stupid Kai's fault.

"I see."

Everyone had thought he'd scream and lose his head. They'd seen it a million times before. What was one more tantrum from the Fire Fairy?

Kai opened the door, and walked into the hall. The door was gentle when it closed behind him.

Everything paused for a fraction of a moment, and Floyd feared it would stay that way until the Monster came ripping through.

SLAM! CRASH!

"Stop it! Back off, Nya! That is enough!"

"You little prick! You spoiled brat! He gave you everything! EVERYTHING. And what do you do?! He's going to die, and it's all for you! You can say that no, it was for Lloyd and you're not Lloyd, but to hell with that! To hell with YOU!"

"Nya, hold your-"

"Nobody asked to be born, nobody asked to suffer! Jay didn't ask to be a skeleton! And when he tried to put his fate in his own hands...you're lucky you didn't see it, you safe little baby! You've never really struggled, have you?! You've got memories of what LLOYD faced, and he's seen hell, but has FLOYD suffered?! Have you faced anguish, have you cried real tears? Have you bled for something you believe in? Have you watched someone's life end right in front of your eyes, as destruction tears apart the world you thought you knew?"

"That's enough, Nya. You'll break him."

"As if we aren't all broken enough already! It's on-only fair!" She started to hiccup with tears, but she didn't stop. Even as Cole and Garmadon held her back. She kept fighting, kept seething, kept crying, kept trying to swing in another hit.

"You spoiled brat, you idiot, you stupid little piece of glass! How dare you say you're suffering, while forgetting the fact that the REST OF US LIVE IN HELL! Care to say that to Kai's face, to Jay's face, to Pixal's face, to Skylor's face, to Zane's face, to-to...to SAKURA'S FACE?! To MORRO'S FACE?!"

Floyd's breathing hitched.

Hair slipped into her face. Her knees buckled. Nya collapsed into a crying mess, and Cole did what he could to comfort her in futility. Her face fell into her hands, and she curled into Cole's rock chest, whispering 'it isn't fair' into him over and over again.

Garmadon reached out to his son, to help him onto his feet. "Llo-Floyd, are you alright?"

Floyd blinked a few moments, and the mental static cleared from his mind. It all settled into focus, every tiny glass shard strewn about the ground. He touched his cheek, which stung but in a numb way. The jagged edges of broken glass grazed his fingertips. She'd smashed his face.

The Homunculus took a moment to gather himself, unsure of how to answer that. Compared to everyone else, he WAS alright.

Floyd reached his hand out to his father and stood upright. He dusted himself off with his father's help. Garmadon pulled him into a hug, but Floyd pushed him back. He left the hospital room without a word, and no one had the guts to follow after him.

It took a while to find what he was looking for, but the long search gave him plenty of time to sit and think. To really, deeply think. About everything. Not just himself, but about what Nya said and what Kai said and Morro's condition and Sakura's death and the shambled state of the world. A world that he had memories of, but had only really experienced for a short while. And those experiences were all thanks to Kai.

"I have to, you know," said Floyd.

Kai was sitting at a table in the cafeteria. It was mostly empty. Most visitors had evacuated the area, and the only ones left in the hospital were doctors and patients as per the hospital's no-evacuation-of-patients policy. It was stupid and illogical, but they had no authority to change matters.

Kai said nothing, just looked at his tray of untouched food.

"The Monster absorbs any essence that goes near it," Floyd continued. "I'm the only one without an essence. Being a Homunculus and all. So naturally, I have to do it. I figure I'll have someone get me within the Monster's earshot so I can recite the spell, and then it'll be over. I'm the only one that-"

"Just go," Kai growled, his voice low and defeated. "Just...go."

Floyd stood there for a moment, waiting for Kai to do or say anything. Waiting for something, anything, to happen between them.

Floyd whispered a small, "I'm sorry" before retreating to the hospital room.

Kai waited for Floyd to leave before letting his face fall into his hands. Before clutching his scalp and pressing his forehead against the table so no one could see that his eyes were leaking.

And so it was settled. Floyd, being the only essence-less person in the group and therefore the only person capable of safely getting close to the Monster, would go to defeat it.

Cole, Nya, and Garmadon would go out there to defend Floyd. Pixal agreed that she was the strongest flyer, she could help. She was weak and Zane and Borg objected, but Nya had strained her wings after flying away from the Monster for such a long period of time. They needed a flyer for the plan they had. No one else could, because Kai was broken (in more ways than one) and Jay was in Reconstruction.

Everyone else would stay in the hospital room and keep in contact with them via a comms device fashioned by Julien and Borg.

The fight would commence the next day.


	73. Over and Out

**"** Are you ready?"

"No."

He held the shiv close to his chest with his one good hand, rifle strapped to his back. They'd just raided a weapons store a while ago. They were going to need all they weapons they could get their hands on for this.

A tinny vibrating voice came from his pack. _"Kssh - come in, Field Team, over. - Kshh"_

"Yeah, this is Floyd, over."

 _"Kshh - How's it looking out there? Over. - Kssh"_

The Homunculus took a moment to take in his surroundings. The buildings were nothing more than unstable metal frames. The walls clung loosely to twisted beams, and what couldn't hold on had fallen to the ground in piles of drywall and rubble. Glass shards crunched under his feet.

Pixal asked if she could take the walkie talkie, and Floyd handed it to her.

"It looks as bad as we all imagined it would," she said. "May I ask how Zane is doing? Over." It still felt weird, despite everything, to call him that instead of Echo.

There was a stiff pause. They had allowed Zane's mind to slip so that they could use his foresight to determine where the Monster was. She didn't like the idea much, since he really wasn't supposed to be off his meds, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

 _"Kshh - He's not doing great, but we're managing it. Over. - Kshh"_

As expected.

Cole was the next to take the walkie talkie. "Hey, Mission Control, any news on where the Monster is? I don't see it anywhere."

No response, until Garmadon whispered to him that he has to say 'over' to let them know he's done speaking. Standard walkie talkie etiquette.

"Oh! Um, over."

Mission Control responded with a small, deflated chuckle. _"Kshh - Heh. Zane hasn't said much in the way of location changes. He's just babbling. I, personally, am questioning the decision to take him off his meds in the first place. He hasn't been a great deal of help. Over. - Kshh"_

"I, too, am questioning that decision," Pixal said.

"You can go back to him, if you want," said Floyd. "We can take it from here. Zane needs you."

She shook her head, and it was then that Floyd realized just how surreal her Wisp form seemed. "You all need me here even more. I trust that they know how to care for him, and I also trust that Zane can care for himself. You need a flyer, do you not?"

"Right, but I'm a flyer too right? I may be made of glass, but I can still - " Oh. Right. He could turn into a dragon, sure, but he was made of glass. Fragile. Weak. They didn't think he could do this all on his own, could they? Of course not.

He touched his face, and felt the gaping hole left by Nya's pounding. He'd expected her to apologize to the moon and back, because that was just her way. But this time, not even a semblance of remorse in her eyes.

Perhaps they were right, and he WAS just a fragile weakling. Maybe he needed all this help because he COULDN'T do it alone.

"Hey, Da - I mean, Garmadon?"

"You can call me Dad, son."

It just didn't feel right to call him that, though. Well it did to some extent, it was a knee-jerk reaction, it was instinct to call the silvery-haired man Dad. But he knew on a much more visceral level, a pounding throb in his core, that this man was not his father because he had none. If anything, KAI was the one responsible for his existence.

...

He shuddered at the concept of calling Kai his father.

"Can I ask you a question? About Lloyd?"

"Of course."

It was strange to ask questions about someone you were supposed to be. Add that to the fact that they were hunting down a friend-turned-Monster in a post-apocalyptic metropolis, and that he was a glass clone.

"Do you think...if Lloyd were still alive..." Floyd chewed on his words a bit. "Do you think he would be able to do this?"

Garmadon had to really think on that. Could his son, his real one, his biological one, have fought and defeated this? "Well, I-"

SKREEE! CRASH! THRASH!

Everyone tensed. Pixal grabbed Floyd's shoulder. They all pulled out their weapons.

"Mission Control," said Nya, now holding the walkie talkie. "We have Monster."

A towering figure cast its shadow upon them. It winded up its a spiked, scaly, slimy fist.

SLAM!

Glass shattered. The building toppled over to its side.

"Move! Move! Move!" Cole shouted. He picked up Nya and Garmadon while Pixal flew off with Floyd.

The building collapsed on the street. Debris flew. Smoke. Smoldering rubble.

Cole set Nya and Garmadon onto their feet. Nya handed the walkie talkie to Floyd without a word.

He tucked it in his pack. He rehearsed his lines. All of the spell that he'd have to say.

"We need to go!" Pixal shouted. Her arms looped under him and lifted him into the air.

Thrash! Crash! Smash!

The Monster left more and more destruction in its wake. Toppled homes. Squashed cars. Torn-up offices. The road imploded everywhere it struck.

Nya shot her water at it, but it was too far away.

Cole smashed the rubble that tried to fall on their heads.

Garmadon couldn't do much more than shoot at the indestructible force.

Tentacles reached out to a nearby building and squeezed. Carpet, glass, furniture flew.

"Are you ready?" Pixal shouted over the roar of destruction.

The Monster opened one of its many dozens of mouths. Thousands of rows of razor fangs down a veiny purple throat. A screech.

The wind of its horrific breath sent them back into a wall. Pixal didn't faze through so she could protect Floyd. Injured smoke rose from her glowing body.

The glow started to flicker. Her grip started to loosen.

"Pixal! Pixal!"

She said nothing in response. Another beating was imminent. There was the fist as it coiled back for a blow. There were the pointed talons poised in offense. There was that look in its hundred slobbering eyes that it wanted to die.

She gathered her strength to fly away. Pixal's landing was graceless. She used herself to guard Floyd from the tumble.

Lying on the ground. Floyd scrambled over to her. Flickering. Flickering. The purple and blue were gone from her skin. Now just normal Pixal.

"Hey! Pixal needs help!"

Garmadon ran to his son's side. "This looks bad," he breathed.

"Can you fix her?"

She shouldn't have been out here in the first place. All because they thought he couldn't handle himself.

And...maybe he couldn't. Pixal was only hurt because she was protecting him. If she hadn't, he'd have shattered.

Useless. Weak. Defenseless. Stupid.

Garmadon picked her up and took her to the side. He pulled out a first-aid kit he'd been equipped with. That much gauze couldn't have been a good thing.

"How do we get Floyd up there NOW?!" Cole shouted between blows to pieces of flying rubble. The debris dissolved into tiny shards upon impact with his fist.

"I could always get up myself!"

"You crazy?! Hell no, you'd sooner shatter!"

Cole had a point. He was just a small, weak, glass boy with no contribution. Why was he even out here?

Another smash. Another building gone.

"I'll get you up there," said Nya. Her voice was made of stone and hate.

"But your wings are strained," said Cole.

"So? We'll die if I don't!"

Cole still had objections. But they had few other options. She picked him up by his shirt. They took off into the sky.

A slimy tentacle reached out to grab them. Backwards knees scrawled along the torn street. Buildings carved by spiked knuckles. Corpses branded by slimy elbows. A beast flickering and fading as it tumbled along. Like a computer glitch.

Its silhouette quivered as it roared. Twenty of its eyes blinked sideways.

Nya flew closer. She attacked it with her water blasts. No effect. She cursed.

Closer. Closer. Her wings started to crackle under pressure. Pulled taut and tearing. She'd been flying for far too long.

Closer. Closer. For Skylor. For Kai. For Sakura. For Morro. She had to do this. She had to WIN.

Even if she felt her very being start to drift away. Even as a mauve steamy light rose from her mouth and tried to escape. As it pulled and tugged like a black hole. As it tried to drag her closer to the Monster.

Floyd's yelling came into focus but it was too late.

SKREE! SLAM! SMASH!

The squishing of her organs as its body flung into her. As a hand of vines swatted her away. Just a small, useless water bug.

As she fell to the ground she had one thought: she failed.

She failed hard. And she fell harder.

Her essence departed from her body. It was pulled into the unstable essence vortex that was the Patchwork Monster.

Cole screamed. Garmadon silently wept. Pixal muttered a barely conscious 'no'. They all knew what was happening.

Nya had gotten too close. And her essence got sucked into the Monster.

Her body contorted. It writhed and wriggled and shook about. Its essence was gone and equilibrium was lost. The Water Fairy's body clenched and twisted. Her eyes grew dry.

Then, right before him, Nya exploded into dust.

A wail of denial. He crumpled into himself. Cole roared. The dust flew through his fingers. He squeezed his fist and punched the ground. Garmadon looked away.

For a moment, the Monster stopped in its tracks.

Then it pulsated a bit. Veins appeared on its scaly, furry face. Water rushed from 72 of its eyes. A flood dribbled from its mouth. A pair of small Fairy wings emerged through the bony flesh of its forehead.

The Monster used its new watery essence to vomit an entire lake. Water crashed and splashed. It swept up all the debris and bodies in the street.

Including Pixal, Garmadon, and Floyd.

Cole stood his ground, but he couldn't for very long. He held Floyd above the water. It rose to his chest. Pixal and Garmadon were nowhere to be found.

The water stopped pouring eventually. The Monster resumed its usual thrashing. The water thinned out to the rest of the street. Pixal and Garmadon were a few streets over. Both with water in their lungs.

Garmadon coughed up some himself before performing CPR on Pixal. She coughed some up herself. She shivered. So cold. He picked her up and carried her away with what strength he had.

The tide cleared to show the damage to Cole's body. Rushing water had eroded at his legs and torso. Brittle. Thin. Crumbling. Muddy. His eyes grew dim. His arms shuddered. His legs snapped. He fell to the ground.

"Fight," Cole hissed with the last of his energy. "Fight."

Alone. Half-shattered. Made of glass. In a ghost town.

Pixal was wounded. Cole was wounded. Garmadon wasn't all to great himself. Nya was GONE.

And it was his fault. He could do nothing.

He sat there. He watched the Golem faint. He watched the city rip apart. He felt his essenceless heart crack. He did nothing. He could do nothing. Because he WAS nothing.

It was over.

SKREEE!

Floyd hugged his knees. He had one good hand and one glass wrist wrapped in bandages. He was hollow. He was empty.

 _"Kshh - Come in, Field Team, come in. What's going on out there? Over. - Kshh"_

Floyd wiped his eyes and held the walkie talkie to his mouth. He hated how his lip quivered and how he couldn't keep his voice level. "I-I...it's o-over. N-Nya lost her...I-I..and Pixal...and Cole. I c-can't. We lost. It's over. We can't w-win."

Mission Control gave no response.

Perhaps they knew he was right. He WAS right. Nothing could stop the Monster. Nothing could save Nya. Nothing could fix Cole. Nothing could bring Lloyd back.

His head fell into his knees. Floyd let himself become small. He let his tears swallow him up and drown him out. He knew he deserved it.

 _"Kshh - This is Mission Control. You still there, Field Team? Over. - Kshh"_

He picked up the walkie talkie and held it against his face, not bothering to much more moving than that. Even as a Monster rampaged through the city.

"Yeah, I'm here," said Floyd. "But not for much longer. Over."

 _"Kshh - I never pegged you as a quitter, Lloyd. Over. - Kshh"_ said the walkie talkie with a passive aggressive crackle.

It was hard to hear over the sounds of death and destruction in the background, but that kind of sass could only belong to one person. "I'm not Lloyd, Kai. Over." He hiccuped.

There was a staticy pause, before Kai said, _"Kshh - Yeah, so I gathered. The real Lloyd wouldn't give up so easily. Over. - Kshh"_

Wow. What insight. How inspiring. He was feeling better already.

"And what would Lloyd do?" asked Floyd. He didn't pull his head out from between his knees, even as he felt the Monster grow closer. If it was going to kill him, he would let it.

 _"Kshh - Hell if I know. Definitely not mope around just because everyone's down for the count. Over. - Kshh"_

For someone who had just lost his sister, he was taking this remarkably well. Floyd mentioned this aloud.

 _"Kshh - Yeah, that. Trust me. It stings like hell. She's gone. S-she wouldn't want me to...she wouldn't want us to cry. For now we have to save the country. But if you allow her sacrifice to be in vain...then we'll have a problem. Got that, Lloyd? Over. -Kshh"_ If Floyd listened carefully, he could hear Kai's voice crack. He could feel the wounded soldier shining out from beneath his strong-man persona.

"I told you. I'm not Lloyd. Over."

 _"Kshh - Then who are you? - Kshh"_ Kai never finished with an over, but the clipped static told him Kai was done speaking.

"A Homunculus," said Floyd. "A phony. A fake. A clone. A delicate lie. Over."

 _"Kshh - No,"_ said Kai in a punishing tone. _"That's WHAT you are. I asked WHO you are. Over. - Kshh"_

The Monster roared, storming closer. Floyd didn't even flinch. He'd just get shattered and he would die, and that would be the end of him.

Was there any real difference?

The Monster grew closer. Closer. Closer. Floyd didn't move. He didn't WANT to move. He just wanted this stupid existence of his to be over. He wanted to stop playing pretend, to stop being something when he was nothing.

 _"Kshh - Well Lloyd? Are you going to answer me?! You're just gonna sit there and bawl your eyes out?! You're going to let everyone die?! Do you plan to let MY SISTER die in VAIN?! To let ME die in vain?! To let the rest of us suffer? How do you think Morro or your dad would feel?! Answer me, Lloyd! - Kshh"_

Floyd rose to his feet in a flash of rage. Clutching the walkie talkie so tight it might have broken it, he exclaimed, "I told you, I'm not Lloyd!"

Skree! Crash! Thrash! Water flew everywhere. Tentacles reached out. Talons dug into concrete. The air bled with agony.

 _"Kshh - Who are you then?! - Kshh"_

"I'M FLOYD!"

...

That was...that was it.

The Homunculus straightened his back. He clenched his fists. He tossed the walkie talkie to the ground.

He was Floyd.

He walked past Cole and promised he would fight.

Because he had to. Because he was Floyd.

Haha. Yeah. He was Floyd.

Floyd reached into himself and pulled out the raspiest, hottest emotion he could find. He pulled it out his eyes until his glass skin almost melted. Until it seeped across his artificial veins. Until it jolted his heart to life. Until it hardened into fractured scales across his skin. Until it formed elegant, golden wings against his back.

He was Floyd. And Floyd was a dragon made of glass.

The dragon flew up. Flapping wings. Snarling teeth. Piercing eyes. A glittering golden body.

It threw itself against the Monster. SMASH! Both Creatures fell to the ground. A few buildings went down with them.

Screeching. Wailing. Thrash. Claw against claw. Tendril against scale. Scale against claw. Gauging of eyes. Shattering of glass. Tumbling. Flying. Dying.

He was Floyd.

Dragons couldn't speak. So he couldn't recite the spell. But he had a new idea. A scary idea.

Floyd threw his tail against the ground. Smashed to bits. The Monster took the opening. Punch. Bite. Scream.

He used his dragon claw to pick up the biggest glass shard. Punch. Kick. Blast. Moan. Bite. Snarl. Slash. Stab.

Down his hand went. Down its slimy throat. Down the constricting tunnel of muscle and phlegm and blood.

Attacked from all sides. Glass rained down. Pain bit the edges of his shell. Just endure a little more.

Down the throat. Deeper. Deeper. Hold the glass firm.

There it was. A warm, fuzzy ball seated in the Monster's chest. He stabbed it. Dragged it up. Screams of agony. More thrashing. There went his hind leg. There went half his face. There went his shoulder.

But he didn't care. Because he was Floyd. And Floyd was made of glass. Floyd was made to be broken. Floyd was made to protect his friends.

The orb was in his claw now. Oozing out his fist. Hundreds of bands of light weaved themselves into each other. He pulled them apart. One by one by one.

The strands of colour flew into the sky and away.

The Monster screeched. It fell onto Floyd. His glass fractured. He was alright with that. He was Floyd. Floyd had friends that needed saving. Floyd had a life worth fighting for. Floyd had a future to enjoy and a past to avenge. Floyd had himself.

The Monster started to shake and quiver.

SKREEEEEE!

The ends of its tentacles were the first to implode. Then came its eyes. Then its tongues. Then the backwards joints and inverted organs. Then the blood. Then its screams.

FWOOM!

A pile of ash lay atop Floyd's dragon form. The Monster was gone.

The essence cluster started to shake and burst. He unwound it a bit more.

Flashes of light going every which way. Blinding him. Warming him. Comforting him. He'd done his job. Finally, Floyd had done something right for once.

He fell back at the sheer force of the cluster unraveling. It exploded. It cracked his shatters and shattered his cracks.

The first thing she saw was a dragon silhouette. It was becoming more translucent with every moment, and a smaller and more human figure could be seen within.

The next thing she saw was a horribly eroded Cole laying at her side.

The next thing she saw was herself, fully intact and alive with her essence where it belonged. What had just happened? Didn't she die? Her essence was ripped out. How was she whole again?

 _"Kshh - Field Team, come in Field Team. We just saw a bunch of bright lights explode from where you guys are. What happened? Over. - Kshh"_

She waited for her breathing to steady before responding. "Mission Control, this is Field Team. I think...I think...I think we did it. Over."

Floyd fell to his knees and clasped his head. The bundle was gone. Dissolved into thin air. All essences were returned to where they belonged, or freed at the very least. Witnessing a mauve essence float into a pile of ash, then watching that ash reform into Nya, was a promising sight. That meant that all the victims of Project Patchwork-

 _"Kshh - Wait, Nya?! I thought - Floyd said - Oh my god." A laugh. "I knew you were too tough to die, sis. Over. - Kshh"_

Nya chuckled at that. "You should give me more credit, big bro. You can't get rid of me that easi - oh my god. It-it can't be!"

 _"Kshh - What is it? What's going on? - Kshh"  
_ "Just know we'll ALL be coming home soon," said Nya, confident. "Over and out."

She abandoned the walkie talkie. She ran past Floyd, who looked about ready to give out, and straight to a moving figure in the rubble.

Striking red hair. Tattered orange clothes. Purple bags under her eyes. Her hair was a frazzled mess, but the fact that she was safe and alive meant everything to Nya.

She gave a look of surprise as Nya came running up to her. What in the world was going on?

"Skylor!"

"Nya?" she asked. The redhead cleared her throat. "What happened? Where are we?"

"Doesn't matter," said Nya, with tears in her eyes. "We're both okay, and that's what matters."

Floyd gave a weak victory smile. His left leg had been broken off, as well as his shoulder. There was a hole in his lower back, and a few spider cracks along his neck and arms. What was left of his face looked like a windshield that had been smashed in by a giant rock.

"I did it..." he muttered. "I actually did it..."

Nya helped Skylor maneuver around the debris. They both walked up to Floyd. Nya gasped. "Oh my - are you alright?"

Skylor insisted that she was alright walking on her own, and that Nya ought to care for Floyd instead. She scooped him into her arms.

Cole sat up, unable to walk as well. Both of his knees had snapped off.

Garmadon emerged at the end of the road with Pixal slumped over his back. He and Nya traded, so that he could hold his son and Nya could hold her friend. Skylor did her best to draw Cole along, and the six of them began the trek back to the hospital.

"Did...did we win?" Floyd asked between wheezing breaths.

"Yes, Floyd. We won."

It was the happiest smile he'd ever given. His remaining eye was closed. Pained yet happy tears rolled down his cheek. "That's good...that's good."

* * *

 **And that's the end on channel ten, folks. You just read the last (and longest, probably) chapter of Veni Vidi Vici. How do you feel? I honestly feel like I could have done so much more with this monumental last chapter. But hey. I was really excited to write it and get it out there. Yeah. Plot holes. According to the essence laws I'd set up, all the victims of Project Patchwork weren't supposed to come back. Nya and Skylor were supposed to stay dead and I was going to leave an ambiguous ending as to whether Floyd survived or not. But you know what? I was in a nice mood today and I thought - hey. You know what would be nice? A happy ending. So there you go, folks. Y'all done did twisted my arm into writing something nice for once. Don't get used to it.**

 **Now for some stuff. As many of you know, I am planning a sequel. It's called 'Morituri Nolumus Mori'. In latin that means 'we who are about to die but don't want to'. I don't know much about what'll happen yet, so you'll have to give me some time to plan it all out. I know it'll talk more in depth about the Reconstruction Chambers, the alchemists, and the Overlord. Some more character death will probably happen, and hopefully it'll have a more structured plot. Tell me in the comments what you want to see in the sequel.**

 **Also, let me know how you feel about this story. What did you like? What didn't you like? Most of this fic was inspired by reader suggestions, and I want to continue that trend. I'll credit anyone whose ideas end up in the sequel.**

 **But for now, I want to give you guys a HUGE shoutout. Thanks to your love and support, I FINALLY FINISHED A FANFICTION FOR THE FIRST TIME! (How's that for alliteration?) You all were so wonderful to me, and have helped me through every step of the creative process. This story isn't perfect, but you guys sure are :) If I could hug you guys, I would.**

 **So where do we go from here? Well, I plan to work on plotting out a sequel that will blow your minds. While I try to top this story and improve my writing skills, I'll also be writing some fics here and there. I've started a My Hero Academia fic, so if you're into that fandom please give it a look-see. Thanks, Drawkill Vear, for already doing that. Your comment made my day that much better.**

 **So now it is time for us to part, for now. I wish you good grades, clear skin, and safe travels.**

 **Seeya around!**

 **~Erio**


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